The federal government should engage in "counter-radicalization" to prevent homegrown terrorism, recommends a report from the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

The report, by Peter Neumann, a research fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Peace and Security Studies, says counter-radicalization differs from counter-terrorism. The former is focused on communities targeted by terrorists and seeks to prevent the radicalization of individuals through non-coercive means, while the latter targets terrorists.

Radicalization is a non-linear process that unfolds over long periods of time, the report says, and adds that there's evidence to suggest that its frequency has recently increased. Research by the New America Foundation and Syracuse University finds that nearly half of the 175 cases of al-Qaeda homegrown terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001 occurred in 2009, and 2010, the report states.

Current anti-violent extremism policy within the Homeland Security Department gives short shrift to counter radicalization, focused as it is on "in essence, a softer, more community-oriented form of counterterrorism revolving around the police," the report says.

In fact, current counter-terrorism policies have created grievances within the Muslim-American community, the report adds, noting that there is a perception that Muslims are singled out for searches and question at airports and by local law enforcement, and that mosques are under blanket surveillance.

"Whether justified or not, the perception that counterterrorism policies are unfairly targeting Muslim American communities has created tensions with engagement activities, which seek to empower the very same communities who believe that government agencies view them as potential suspects."

Counter-radicalization itself is not a single policy, but a policy theme and is delivered through multiple programs which in many cases are not explicitly so labeled, the report says. Among the range of activities that serve the aims of counter-radicalization is capacity building--youth and women's leadership initiatives, community development, etc.--town halls, education and training.

For more:
- download the report, "Preventing Violent Radicalization in America" (.pdf)

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