Since 9/11, policymakers and practitioners in the West traditionally employ a mix of hard- and soft-power approaches to counterterrorism. While kinetic measures such as targeted killings and arrests comprise part of the government’s response to terrorism, officials use a range of mechanisms to engage and empower populations as a means to prevent mobilization to terrorist violence. Often under the banner of “Countering Violent Extremism,”(CVE) softer measures, like intervention programming and counter-messaging initiatives, are critical mechanisms for governments and civil society alike. The execution of influential counter-narrative campaigns represents a challenging but necessary tool for stakeholders tasked with preventing and confronting the adoption of extreme ideas and actions.
Author: Lorenzo Vidino
Lorenzo Vidino is currently the Director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University’s Centre for Cyber & Homeland Security. Lorenzo leads EFD’s radicalisation series where he chairs briefings with European policymakers about the latest security threats from Islamist groups.