Farah Pandith

on combatting global extremism

Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; Senior Advisor at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue; former U.S. Special Representative to Muslim Communities Senior Fellow

The use of American soft power to prevent the radicalization and recruitment of individuals by non-state actors has been ad hoc and limited over the last two decades. Yet, the ideological component of the extremist threat provides opportunity for soft power to shine if mobilized with the right focus, funding, and framing. Whether fighting groups like the so-called Islamic State or a wide variety of white supremacist movements, an attention to the ideologies of “Us-versus -Them” is essential to successfully cut off the supply of ideological soldiers radicalized and recruited online and offline.

However, the greatest challenge is design: soft power efforts are not designed nor funded for the precise inoculation of a generation and government does not utilize cultural intelligence to see around corners. America is responsive and deliberate with soft power, but unlike the mindset toward democracy or development challenges, the inoculation of communities against the appeal of extremist content has not resulted in a multidisciplinary approach and partnerships for the long term. Because extremist ideologies have no borders, there is a huge diplomatic opportunity to engage a multination, multi-disciplinary approach, with buy-in to fight the ideology in a coordinated, scaled, and comprehensive way. With precise benchmarks and discipline, soft power tactics can change the threat landscape for the better.

What advice do you have for the next generation of diplomatic practitioners?

Whatever challenges we face globally will require vibrant collaboration and creativity. Think about future policy wins not as power over but power WITH. How can you build new bridges (this requires trust and treating partners with dignity) to bring lots of new disciplines and ideas to the problem-solving table?