The Edge of Violence: Towards Telling the Difference Between Violent and Non-Violent Radicalization

Radicalization is often seen as a first, prerequisite step along the road towards terrorism. Yet to be radical is merely to reject the status quo, and not necessarily in a problematic or violent way. In Part 1-"Radicals"-this article compares the backgrounds, ideologies, behaviours, and attitudes of a sample of "violent radicals" with both radical and "mainstream" non-violent sample groups. By finding both what the violent and non-violent samples share, and also what they do not, the article hopes to achieve a more adept discrimination of violent and non-violent radicalization. In Part 2-"Radicalization"-the article suggests that, in addition to being an intellectual, rational, and religious decision, becoming a terrorist is also an emotional, social, and status-conscious one.