Neither hard nor soft prevention - On the need to reconfigure contemporary counterterrorism towards smart prevention

Abstract

Confronted with something of a modern terrorist crisis, European policymakers have reformulated counterterrorism in the direction of a task in which the state and the public are combined in preventing individuals from being radicalized towards terrorism. This division of counterterrorist responsibilities between the state and the public sees the merger of using ‘hard’ policing measures that are associated with the state, alongside ‘softer’ measures closer related with public life. However, there are both theoretical, practical, and ethical challenges regarding this divide, as neither ‘soft’ nor ‘hard’ measures have been adequately integrated into a comprehensive preventive framework. This study aims to theorize the prevention of radicalization, violent extremism, and terrorism with a particular focus on the role of trust and dialogue as the basis of prevention efforts carried out in public and civic fields. Empirical examples are offered to show how trust, dialogue and cooperation can form the basis for multi-agency prevention efforts. In this preventive context, dialogue appear to be an untapped resource towards ‘smart’ counterterrorism, which we argue deserves to be further explored in theory, policy, and practice.