The recipe of deradicalization for Gaza is likely to prove a dangerous and unrealistic pipe dream. 

One of the most persistent—and pernicious—myths being bandied about in the debate over how to achieve some peaceable resolution to the violence induced by radical Islam in Gaza is the proposed “panacea” of “de-radicalization” of extremist Islamist elements. The rationale underlying the prescription of deradicalization is as glib as it is deceptive.

After all, prima facie, what could be more reasonable? If radical Islam is the problem, surely the solution should be deradicalization. However, this deceptively sound reasoning begs two crucial questions: How is this to be achieved—and by whom.

Beware false narratives

In this regard, it is crucial to bear in mind that while it is true that extremist ideologies have been defanged in the past, such as in post-WWII Germany and Japan, before extrapolating from such success to the case of radical Islam, it is essential to be aware of the substantive differences in the structural parameters that separate the two cases. Indeed, any suggestion that policy-relevant conclusions can be drawn from comparisons between authoritarian ideologies of the WW II era and modern-day Islamist extremism rests on entirely misplaced analogies.

After all, Nazi Germany was not surrounded by a swath of Teutonic nations, nor Imperial Japan by a swathe of Nipponic nations that could undermine any moderating influences introduced by the victorious Allied powers. Thus, unlike the........

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