Terrorist attacks can be seen as the ultimate wicked problem. After 9/11, terrorists moved
from so-called ‘spectacular’ events to relatively low-intensity attacks against individuals and
groups. The emergence of what has become known as the ‘home-grown’ terrorist has added a
further dimension to the ‘wicked’ nature of the problem. This paper considers the UK’s
CONTEST and PREVENT strategies as a policy response to the threats from terrorism
and the impact that the policies themselves can have on the radicalization of individuals.
The author highlights some of the limitations of the PREVENT strand of the overall
strategy and the constraints that are imposed on government policies by failing to take a
holistic perspective on the nature of the problem
