Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 08/2010

A New Approach? Deradicalization Programs and Counterterrorism

Ellie B. Hearne, Nur Laiq

July 2010

International Peace Institute

Abstract

Counterterrorism has, in the last ten years, come to the fore of international relations, and remains in the news almost daily. This is due in large part to the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, which in turn have also prompted something of a backlash against such military or “hard” approaches to countering terrorism. Partly in response, states and civil society have sought out softer, often preventive, measures to deal with violent extremism, many of which have been deemed more successful than military approaches and less likely to foment a new generation of violent extremists. However, problems remain.