Commentary That terrorism is real should not be in question. Even if we cannot agree on what terrorism is (“one man’s freedom fighter…”), let alone the distinction between it and hate crime, it is very true that there is such a thing and it warrants monitoring and action to stop it before it occurs (and kills/injures innocent civilians).
As a consequence, many, if not most, nations have developed over the years some kind of counter-terrorism policy or program. Some of these are predominantly military in nature (such as the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001), some are security service/law enforcement-led, and others are civil society focused (the plethora of PCVE—preventing and countering violent extremism—initiatives). Whatever the approach, the end goal is the same: prevent and stop terrorism….