Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 51 RADICALIZATION OF YOUTH AS A GROWING CONCERN FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM POLICY INTRODUCTION The stereotype of a terrorist as a foreigner from a disadvantaged marginalized country, striking at the Western values from abroad, is slowly fading with the latest increase in Canadian, American, and British citizens joining the ranks of terrorist organizations, as was the case in Algerian gas plant attack on January 20, 2013, or engaging in terrorist acts inspired by radical messages circulating online, as was the case with Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013. Radicalization of youth especially in Western Europe and North America is becoming one of the most important threats of international terrorism in the world today. Socially isolated, disenchanted young men turn to extremism in their search for identity, acceptance and purpose which they are unable to find in the community more often concerned with wealth accumulation rather than healthy relationship-building. In this situation, the implication for counterterrorism policy is the difficulty of identifying and intercepting terrorists since they are already in the country by birth or via naturalization, while law enforcement agencies in Europe and North America struggle with walking a fine line between civil liberties and extremism propaganda. The situation is further exacerbated by the population’s opinion in regards to the foreign policy of their government, which can be seen as the motivational point for joining the jihad by young members of the society. In this case the intelligence community will have to quickly assess the potential threat represented by these young travelers and correctly identify them while combing through a significant amount of online data. A comprehensive approach to the problem of radicalization could be most effective for successful counter-terrorism policy, and as such should include community engagement to prevent radicalization and highlight the understanding of the detrimental impact the individualistic society has on the development of the youth. At the same time, it is crucial for law enforcement and social workers to build trust with local population, and be culturally sensitive to the community they serve, in order to correctly gauge potential for radicalization. Finally, as Internet and mass media represent a wealth of information on various radical violent venues, which could seem attractive to youth, perhaps, the intelligence would benefit from a counter-terrorism dedicated cyber-crime unit. THE PROBLEM OF RADICALIZATION “Those who feel that society as a whole has the least to offer them are the most likely to join [the terrorist network]” (Sageman, 2004) and unfortunately young men in Western Europe and North America are more often nowadays joining the pool of such candidates. The rise in home grown terrorists has two important components: the process of radicalization and the causes for it are both linked to one common denominator – the society in which these young men live. On the one hand it rejects these men from its circle, and on the other hand it pushes them to look for other social networks. CAUSES FOR RADICALIZATION There are various opinions on the true causes for radicalization. Some authors say that “[t]he descent into homegrown terror among North American youths is typically an internal journey driven by teenaged disaffection and anger. It has little to do with geography, religion or heritage. Individuals drawn to radicalization continued... www.globalsecuritystudies.com
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