ABSTRACT
Many programs aim to prevent radicalization. However, the effectiveness of these programs is rarely evaluated. This chapter tries to compare some of the most popular programs to prevent radicalization as well as their effectiveness. With regard to the programs, a structural comparison will be made of the Spanish, French, British, German, Austrian, Danish and Belgian radicalization prevention schemes and the programs involved in them. The number of radicalized individuals and foreign fighters will then be correlated with the number of terrorist attacks since 2010. Strengthening individual and collective resilience to counter radicalization is probably one of the most promising approaches in addressing this threat. Shifting the prevention paradigm from vulnerability to resilience is not an easy task. This chapter retraces some of the paths already walked by others in the hope of shedding more light on that innovative perspective. Community-based approaches, while crucial, are complex. They require the involvement of many actors: educators, schools, social services, police, religious communities, health personnel, and so on. This chapter makes a proposal to shape prevention programs in the light of community approaches that build resilience. Finally, the open debate on the possibility of deradicalization is addressed, especially with regard to the effectiveness of programs on the one hand, and the tension between simple demobilization (including economic integration) and deradicalization through the moral delegitimization of violence on the other.
