What is Counterterrorism

To tackle the phenomenon of terrorism, especially the attacks carried out by homegrown terrorists, since 2005 all the EU's member states have adopted the Global Strategy to Combat Terrorism. Focusing on four pillars (prevention, protection, persecution, and response), the strategy provides for security measures to protect against terrorism as a criminal act. What if, instead, we consider terrorism as a social phenomenon, strictly connected to radicalization and resulting from discriminatory experiences and discomfort young second generation immigrants suffer within the European society? Moving in this direction, through the application of the PESTLE analysis to the specific context of Belgium, this study elaborates a counterterrorism policy which takes into account the root and activating factors of radicalization by filling Belgium's gaps in terms of integration policies and which could help reducing the likelihood of occurring radicalization and terrorist attacks episodes.