Why has terrorism not been defeated so far?

The Manchester bombing in May 2017 was carried out by a young Briton from the Libyan community. Tahir Abbas asks what this means for the British government’s Prevent strategy, which is supposed to stop the radicalisation that can lead to terrorist attacks. He argues that the causes of radicalisation often lie in wider geopolitical issues and the mental health of young people – things that Prevent, rooted in local monitoring, does not always address.

• Primary Source

UK: GOV.UK: Policies: Counter-terrorism https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/counter-terrorism

ESO: Key source: Terrorism in Europe http://www.europeansources.info/record/terrorism-in-europe/

The Guardian: Tag: Prevent strategy https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/prevent-strategy

Open Society Justice Initiative: Report, October 2016: Eroding Trust: The UK’s Prevent Counter-Extremism Strategy in Health and Education https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/reports/eroding-trust-uk-s-prevent-counter-extremism-strategy-health-and-education

UK: GOV.UK: Home Office: Policy Paper: Prevent strategy 2011 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-strategy-2011

The Telegraph, 26.05.17: What is the anti-terror Prevent programme and why is it controversial? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/anti-terror-prevent-programme-controversial/

The Conversation, 25.05.17: Terrorism in Britain: a brief history http://theconversation.com/terrorism-in-britain-a-brief-history-78362

BBC News, 16.06.17: UN says Prevent extremism policy is 'inherently flawed' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40286861

The Conversation, 26.06.17: How to deradicalise someone https://theconversation.com/how-to-deradicalise-someone-78969

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