The 'Uploading' and 'Downloading' of the European Union's Counterterrorism 'Prevent' Policy 2005-2016: A British Case Study

Abstract

The 2004 Madrid bombings marked the deadliest Islamic terrorist attack to take place in European history, and followed by the London bombings in 2005, constituted a significant turning point for the European Union (EU) with both the materialisation of a 'distinctive, separate and multi-dimensional' counterterrorism policy domain and the collective recognition for the need to internally prevent radicalisation and terrorism. However, operating within a multilevel European security field marked by national sovereignty, it has questioned to what extent the EU has subsequently impacted and shaped member states' counterterrorism policy. Moreover, with a mutual reaction to the 2004/2005 attacks, the analogous adoption of 'Prevent' strategy, and as a leading member state in advanced counterterrorism practice, the United Kingdom (UK) has further questioned not only the extent to which national policy has been impacted by, but has impacted, EU-level policy. By employing Britain as a longitudinal case study, this thesis thereby examines to what extent the UK and EU have 'uploaded' and 'downloaded' counterterrorism 'Prevent' policy to the respective European and national level, with the aim to provide new insight into the processes and levels of Europeanisation within the EU's post-2005 counterterrorism policy...