{"id":3695,"date":"2013-01-31T11:00:17","date_gmt":"2013-01-31T01:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=3695"},"modified":"2013-02-01T06:06:28","modified_gmt":"2013-01-31T20:06:28","slug":"countering-violent-extremism-the-soft-power-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/countering-violent-extremism-the-soft-power-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Countering violent extremism \u2013 the ‘soft power’ approach"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new National Security Strategy points to the Commonwealth\u2019s\u00a0Countering Violent Extremism Strategy<\/em>\u00a0as a key feature of its approach to countering terrorism, espionage and foreign interference. Community programs designed to counter violent extremism\u2014so-called \u2018soft power\u2019 counter-terrorism programs\u2014are being increasingly adopted by governments worldwide, including Australia. They are part of an evolving response to the threat posed by groups and individuals seeking to perpetrate or support violence in pursuit of ideological, political or religious goals.<\/p>\n

The prevalence of \u2018home-grown terrorism\u2019\u2014defined by the Commonwealth Attorney-General\u2019s Department<\/a> as \u2018locally-cultivated violent extremism by individuals born, raised or currently living in Australia\u2019\u2014has prompted a re-design of the solely \u2018hard power\u2019 approach to counterterrorism that was the hallmark of the immediate response to the 9\/11 attacks.<\/p>\n

The threat of violent extremism is now more complex and is becoming increasingly difficult to detect, with violent extremists frequently operating in small independent groups or as \u2018lone actors\u2019. Under significant organisational pressure, Al-Qaeda inspired affiliates have used online channels such as its Yemeni affiliate AQAP\u2019s Inspire <\/em>magazine to campaign for local solo attacks. This campaign seems to be paying off for them, and has coincided with a marked increase in the number of such attacks since 2008<\/a>. And the threat isn\u2019t just from violent jihadism\u2014the attack by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway in 2011 demonstrates the possible presence and lethality of violent extremists across the ideological spectrum (jihadist, right wing, left wing or ethno-nationalist).<\/p>\n

While security agencies will continue to use intelligence and law enforcement to prevent or disrupt acts of terrorism, those traditional tools are now being complemented by early prevention policies under the banner \u2018Countering Violent Extremism\u2019 (CVE). It\u2019s a broad-brush approach that encapsulates a range of non-coercive tools and programs developed by community organisations and government partners. It aims to collectively:<\/p>\n