CVE, or “Soft” Counter-Terrorism

This chapter introduces the conceptual foundations of countering violent extremism (CVE) by situating it within the longer history of radicalization research. It begins with Walter Laqueur’s influential but controversial proposition of a “new terrorism” after 9/11, tracing how debates over ideology, social networks, and individual psychology shaped the emergence of radicalization as a field of study. The chapter highlights the epistemological crises of terrorism studies, showing how unsettled definitions of radicalization continue to underpin CVE policies. Competing models—from Sageman’s social network “bunch of guys” to Wiktorowicz’s “cognitive openings”—are examined alongside more recent critiques that link CVE to pathologization, surveillance, and the creation of “suspect communities”. The analysis also introduces Brodeur’s concept of high policing, demonstrating how CVE hybridized security practices by incorporating social workers, educators, and health professionals into traditionally secretive counter-terrorism domains. By framing CVE as a sociopolitical object shaped by risk governance and neoliberal logics, the chapter establishes the analytical lens of the book: That CVE is not simply a technical response to terrorism but an improvised field where definitions, practices, and power struggles converge.