Funding the anti-terror drive

Netherlands: Dutch government to spend €28 million combating "radicalization"

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: The Dutch government will spend €28 million (US$38 million) over the next four years to prevent the growth of Islamic fundamentalism and right-wing nationalism, the interior affairs minister said Monday.

Guusje ter Horst said the emphasis would be on funding existing programs at the neighborhood and school levels for what the government sees as a "growing problem" of the radicalization of Dutch youth.

She said the goal was not to combat extremist groups — a job for law enforcement and intelligence agencies — but to prevent them from forming in the first place.

I can't state with certainty that such plans are effective, because more often than not, they impact a larger number of people than is necessary. Anti-terror drives based on ethnicity and religion are almost always blunt weapons. Ironically, these drives serve to create a climate of fear, suspicion and a sense of oppression that might well push borderline cases into radicalization. I am more inclined toward not giving extremist leaders any more fodder than they already have at their disposal.