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The problem of international and domestic terrorism is relevant for most countries in the world. For this reason, governments and academics develop various programs and measures to prevent terrorism and combat its consequences. Aftercare programs are one of such methods aimed at rehabilitating people involved in terrorist activities in society and their refusal from political violence. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that apply this approach; however, it cannot guarantee its effectiveness due to the difficulty of identifying its shortcomings. Consequently, this research proposal aims to consider features of an aftercare program for people accused of terrorism in Saudi Arabia and its outcomes to assess its effectiveness and impact on society.
Background and the Research Question
Most countries in the world have strategies and methods to combat terrorism. These methods include security checks at airports and public places, tracking radical groups, scanning social media, and arresting people suspected of terrorist activities. Nevertheless, the judicial systems’ main task in most countries is to help offenders abandon criminal activity and become members of society but not just punish and isolate them. For this reason, many countries, including Saudi Arabia, use deradicalization programs for terrorists to help them return to normal life and benefit society.
The basis of the deradicalization approach is the belief that a person can abandon their previous beliefs. This approach is “soft power” as it aims at counseling and therapy for radicalized people to change their corrupt and deviant perception of Islam imposed by terrorist groups (Boucek, 2008). In Saudi Arabia, this approach is most appropriate, since it is compatible with the “Saudi concept of da’wah (call to faith) as a governmental obligation” (Boucek, 2008, p.4.). In other words, the deradicalization process does not force people to abandon their religion but demonstrates the non-violent interpretation that is embedded in Islam.
From the perspective of international relations, this approach is explained by the theory of “soft power” applied at the individual level. Initially, the concept of “soft power” was considered as an influence that shapes the preferences of countries through cultural and economic incentives (Nye, 2017). This approach opposes the concept of “hard power”, or coercion and war, which has been predominantly used in international politics of the past. This counter-terrorism method is most clearly seen in the US attack on Iraq after the terrorist attack in New York in 2001. However, the same example demonstrates the disadvantage of this approach, since together with terrorist organizations, innocent residents of the country have suffered. For this reason, the primary method of soft counter-terrorism is the “war of ideas” rather than political violence (Hoeft, 2015). Thus, the theory of “soft power” is applied both at the international level and not individually.
Saudi Arabia provides several programs that use soft counter-terrorism techniques. These include prevention, rehabilitation, and aftercare programs, which have different approaches (Boucek, 2008). For example, prevention programs aim to educate children and conduct lectures to avoid the involvement of young people in terrorist organizations. Aftercare programs are the most extensive as it includes various tangible and intangible incentives to help a person return to society. For example, people previously involved in terrorist activity live in a rehabilitation center, where they receive therapy, counseling, and general activities with other residents (Boucek, 2008). This approach allows ex-terrorists to abandon political violence and embrace modern Saudi society’s principles that may have changed during their time in a terrorist organization. In addition, the state also allocates funds to provide people after rehabilitation with housing, work, and even assistance in organizing a wedding, since the government believes that family life imposes the responsibility and reduces the likelihood of a return to political violence (Boucek, 2008). All these measures are necessary for people accused of terrorism as they provide a safe and comfortable return to society.
However, practice shows that evaluating aftercare programs is challenging. First, as Hoeft (2015) notes, evaluating deradicalization programs, in general, is problematic because it is nearly impossible to track cognitive shift, and recidivism rates do not necessarily reflect changes in a person’s attitudes. Consequently, assessing aftercare is even more difficult as it is part of an overall deradicalization program. However, these results are needed to determine the need for change and the direction for funding. For this reason, the research question of this study is: “How effective is Saudi Arabia’s aftercare programs as a measure of soft counter-terrorism strategy?”.
Significance of the Research
Understanding the effectiveness of an aftercare program allows the government to find weaknesses and make changes to improve it. In addition, if programs are not sufficient, then it is more reasonable for the state to stop it and direct funds and efforts to other methods, such as rehabilitation and prevention. Therefore, this assessment is essential for government agencies, consulting organizations, and society in general, since innocent people suffer from the consequences of terrorism. In addition, this study is also critical for people who have been convicted of terrorism, since deradicalization gives them a second chance for a full life in society.
Methodology
Methods for assessing the effectiveness of a deradicalization program have several disadvantages. Among them, such as the inaccuracy of quantitative measurements, for example, the number of recidivists or terrorism attempts in the country (Hoeft, 2015). For this reason, quality interviews with convicted terrorists who have undergone therapy in the rehabilitation center and received social support and their mentors and doctors will be used to evaluate the aftercare programs. This method will help obtain a subjective and objective assessment of changes in the behavior and beliefs of people arrested for terrorism and, thereby, assess the effectiveness of the program.
References
Boucek, K. (2008). Saudi Arabia’s “soft” counterterrorism strategy: Prevention, rehabilitation, and aftercare. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Hoeft, G. (2015). ‘Soft’ approaches to counter-terrorism: An exploration of the benefits of deradicalization programs. The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT).
Nye, J. (2017). Soft power: The origins and political progress of a concept. Palgrave Communication, 3. Web.
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