How effective has the UK Government’s Prevent strategy been in countering ‘radicalisation’? Which alternative strategies might be adopted in Britain?
In specific terms, the question is asking you about the UK Prevent strategy and how effective it has been in preventing radicalisation, the process through which individuals are said to be encouraged toward violent extremism.
You will need to spend some time discussing when and why Prevent was introduced and what its objectives are.
You will certainly need to address the problems and issues that have arisen out of Prevent and also give voice to the opinions of individuals and groups that support it.
As always, the weight of the evidence presented by the two ‘sides’ is key.In responding to this question, you will be engaging in contemporary debates about the process of ‘radicalisation’.
In so doing, there are a variety of sources open to you: State policies to counter radicalisation, academic studies on radicalisation, the testimonies of those that have been ‘radicalised’, the views of security experts, government and wider political reports on radicalisation and the reports provided by Human Rights groups and NGOs, e.g. Quilliam, CAGE, Human Rights Watch, Liberty, Prevent Watch. It is important to test the credibility of these sources and subject them to scrutiny.
You also need to have some certainty about your own position on radicalisation. Is it a readily identifiable process? If so, why? If not, why not?
When did the discourse of radicalisation first emerge and why? You may well want to refer to specific examples and cases.
Lots of possibilities here – including 7/7, London Bridge and/or Manchester Arena attacks. What would say is don’t be too scattergun on the ‘cases’.
It is far better to allude to two or three cases and do so in detail than it is to pepper your answer with too many examples and illustrations that are superficial and not well worked through.
When thinking about alternative strategies, you may have your own suggestions, but do read around the literature on this. Look at approaches to counter-radicalisation adopted in other countries in Europe and beyond.
You should also (re)engage with the Thought Piece for week 6, where it is argued that bolstering existing health, welfare and support services and advancing human rights would be a preferable alternative.
