The Constraints Hypothesis

This paper re-frames the concept of causality in deradicalisation, disengagement and reintegration pathways. Analysis of the theories and frameworks in counter-terrorism research indicate that prevalent causal models offer reductive explanations of human behavior, revealing the absence of a scientifically credible account of how agents undergo transformation in pathways out of terrorism. To address the problem of causality, I borrow from the thought bank of complexity theory and reconceptualise causality as the operation of “constraints.” The paper then goes on to operationalize the concept of constraints for counter-terrorism researchers and practitioners, laying down a new and preliminary conceptual framework for thinking about how people leave terrorism behind

Causal chain · Causal model · Causality (physics · Disengagement theory · Economics · Epistemology · Operationalization · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Positive economics · Sociology · Terrorism · Computer Science · Law · Mathematics · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence · Artificial Intelligence