New White House Strategy Aims to Curb Violent Extremism

03 August 2011

President Obama released a new counterterrorism strategy August 3 to curb the threat posed by home-grown violent extremists.

The Obama administration announced a new strategy August 3 that enlists the help of local communities to curb the threat posed by terrorist groups and other extremists that threaten the safety of Americans within the United States.

The strategy released by the White House recognizes a growing concern by national security officials of a threat from the radicalization of extremists within the U.S. homeland that has emerged since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

“Most recently, al-Qaida and its affiliates have attempted to recruit and radicalize people to terrorism here in the United States, as we have seen in several plots and attacks, including the deadly attack two years ago on our service members at Fort Hood,” President Obama said in the introduction to “Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States” (PDF, 2.8MB).

A single gunman on November 5, 2009, killed 14 people and wounded 29 others in a rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, which is among the most populous Army posts in the United States. The Army has charged a military doctor, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, in the shooting. There have been other instances of lone U.S. citizens and small groups attempting to carry out terrorist attacks within the country.

The administration’s strategy acknowledges that community residents are often better positioned to take the lead in thwarting a home-grown extremist because they know their communities best.

Obama cited Muslim-American communities in the strategy because they “have categorically condemned terrorism, worked with law enforcement to help prevent terrorist attacks, and forged creative programs to protect their sons and daughters from al-Qaida’s murderous ideology.”

The strategy’s central goal is to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from inspiring, radicalizing, financing or recruiting individuals or groups within the United States to commit acts of violence. The strategy calls for the U.S. government to support local communities by sharing more information about the threat of radicalization; strengthening cooperation with local law enforcement, who work with the communities every day; and helping communities to better protect themselves against violent extremist propaganda, especially on the Internet, Obama said.

“Achieving this aim requires that we all work together — government, communities, the private sector, the general public and others — to develop effective programs and initiatives,” the strategy says.

The strategy is based on the president’s National Security Strategy and also the National Strategy for Counterterrorism, which says that al-Qaida and its affiliates represent the pre-eminent terrorist threat to the United States. The new plan calls for enhanced federal engagement with local communities, building government and law enforcement expertise for preventing violent extremism, and countering violent extremist propaganda while also promoting U.S. values.