An imprecise science: Assessing interventions for the prevention, disengagement and de-radicalisation of left and right-wing extremists

ISD

November 2019

By Jacob Davey, Henry Tuck and Dr Amarnath Amarasingam

This report examines intervention approaches currently being used to challenge political extremism globally, drawing on 19 interviews with practitioners based in Belgium, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, the UK and USA. In particular, it looks at the approaches which are being used to de-radicalise and disengage right wing extremists, as well as current strategies being employed to tackle radicalisation and extremism online. It highlights a wide range of different approaches to this work, some key structural challenges facing practitioners seeking to deliver interventions, as well as a number of discrepancies in the scale and sophistication of interventions initiatives globally.