ASP Consensus member Tara Sonenshine recently penned a piece for The Hill exploring America’s ability to influence the decision making process of potential extremist recruits. In her piece, she asks:

What happens when young people — men, sometimes women) —  reach a fork in the road, wherever the road is, and face a choice between extremism and non-extremism? How do we — the United States — help young people take a positive turn rather than the path to violence? Is it enough to counter extremist “thought,” or is the task even more basic — to stop extremist action?

Attempting to answer why the U.S. often has difficulty dissuading individuals from turning to terror, Sonenshine contended:

For one, the workload may be too big. With the breakdown of formal governments, there are too many individuals and groups to contain the violent ambitions of a few. The U.S. government is not capable of taking responsibility for every state failure. Technology, information, social change and other seismic shifts have made the job of stabilizing a society bigger and more complicated than ever before. We have more good intentions than resources or patience.

To read about how Sonenshine believes the private sector has a role to play in addressing this issue, be sure to read the rest of her piece at The Hill.

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