Over the past few years, Europe has found itself in the frontline in the fight against terrorism and jihadist radicalisation. They have become some of the most serious threats to European security, and to the values the European Union was built on. In the wake of the November 2015 Paris attacks, the European Policy Centre (EPC), the European Foundation for Democracy (EFD) and the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) came together and decided to launch a project to analyse the rise of jihadist radicalisation in Europe and beyond and develop concrete policy recommendations to tackle the issue head-on.
This book, published exactly one year after the 2016 Brussels attacks, is the result of a series of multi-stakeholder events and workshops, and features contributions from renowned experts. As terrorism and radicalisation become ever more complex and multifaceted, this study goes beyond a mere cause-effect analysis and looks at the problem from many different angles, including radicalisation in schools, universities and mosques, geostrategic aspects, the nature of online extremist narratives, the nexus between the extreme right and jihadist radicalisation, and examples of effective countering violent extremism (CVE) measures. The one thing all authors agree on is that, in order to successfully address radicalisation and keep EU citizens (and others around the world) safe from further terrorist attacks, intensified cooperation and intelligence sharing between member states, and between the EU and its partners, is an absolute must. Equally important is that EU member states can offer marginalised and disillusioned youths at risk of radicalisation a better alternative, and promote a positive counter-narrative based on its own founding principles of freedom and democracy.
Read the full book here