Counterterrorism on campus

The threat of terrorism and risks of radicalization pervade modern life. Universities are no exception, especially as young people are vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups. Nonetheless, the decision of the United Kingdom (UK) government to place universities and other educational institutio...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Zedner, L
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: University of Toronto Press 2018
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author Zedner, L
author_facet Zedner, L
author_sort Zedner, L
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description The threat of terrorism and risks of radicalization pervade modern life. Universities are no exception, especially as young people are vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups. Nonetheless, the decision of the United Kingdom (UK) government to place universities and other educational institutions under the statutory ‘Prevent duty,’ requiring them ‘to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism,’ is controversial. This article examines the historical background to this novel development in the complex interplay of hard and soft power security strategies. It asks why universities in the UK have been co-opted as agents of counterterrorism and reflects on the implications of the Prevent duty for fundamental rights, not least freedom of speech and academic freedom. It concludes by considering whether this security obligation is consistent with the larger role of the university in a democratic society.
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spelling oxford-uuid:60379609-3d7e-4520-aa4a-eeb2ba9d7a2b2022-03-26T17:52:01ZCounterterrorism on campusJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:60379609-3d7e-4520-aa4a-eeb2ba9d7a2bEnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordUniversity of Toronto Press2018Zedner, LThe threat of terrorism and risks of radicalization pervade modern life. Universities are no exception, especially as young people are vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups. Nonetheless, the decision of the United Kingdom (UK) government to place universities and other educational institutions under the statutory ‘Prevent duty,’ requiring them ‘to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism,’ is controversial. This article examines the historical background to this novel development in the complex interplay of hard and soft power security strategies. It asks why universities in the UK have been co-opted as agents of counterterrorism and reflects on the implications of the Prevent duty for fundamental rights, not least freedom of speech and academic freedom. It concludes by considering whether this security obligation is consistent with the larger role of the university in a democratic society.
spellingShingle Zedner, L
Counterterrorism on campus
title Counterterrorism on campus
title_full Counterterrorism on campus
title_fullStr Counterterrorism on campus
title_full_unstemmed Counterterrorism on campus
title_short Counterterrorism on campus
title_sort counterterrorism on campus
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