ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the evolution of Belgium’s counter-terrorism policy, through an analysis of its doctrine (key documents, including classified ones) and policies, and relying on a series of interviews with key stakeholders. It describes the evolution of counter-terrorism in Belgium towards a more “comprehensive” approach, following the “hardening” of CT policies in the 2000s, and the progressive “softening” in the early 2010s, in the context of the mobilisation of youngsters for Syria, leading to the development of a new agenda on the prevention of radicalisation (P/CVE) largely pioneered by municipalities. This chapter discusses some of the key drivers of this evolution, and how the meaning of the “comprehensive approach” evolved over time.
