As emphasised in recent researches on the securitization of aid, donors’ policies in countries regarded as vulnerable to terrorism have increasingly prioritized counter-terrorism and stability objectives over human security concerns, overshadowing human rights and democracy. In Kenya, US economic and military assistance, and support for tightening up national counter-terrorism measures, have increased despite their well-reported violent and discriminatory character with respect to Muslim and ethnic Somali communities in the country, scapegoated for the escalation of terrorist attacks. Such communities, concentrated mainly in the North-Eastern region and in Nairobi, have historically been the target of repression by the Kenyan government, increasing their political marginalization and social alienation. Building on such a literature, this research takes a step forward, investigating whether, turning a blind eye to breaches of human rights and to the intensification of repressive policies, US securitized approach may have paradoxical repercussions, increasing radicalization. To do so, the study relies on a combination of analytical frameworks from the social movement research to explore key dynamics favouring mobilization to political violence and terrorist recruitment in Kenya. Specifically, political process and framing theory are used to analyse the role of counter-terrorism policies in (1) opening up political opportunities that terrorists can exploit to mobilize resources and gain support, (2) increasing the degree of resonance of collective action frames produced by terrorists.
The paper shows (1) how the historical marginalization of Muslim and ethnic Somali communities in Kenya has resulted in the shaping of networks of interaction, frequently of an informal nature and hardly accessible to government authority, that Al-Shabaab is now seeking to penetrate to achieve greater coordination and mobilization of potential recruits; (2) how repressive and discriminatory counter-terrorism measures exacerbate significantly social fragmentation, further isolating Muslims and ethnic Somalis, and turning them into vulnerable targets of terrorists’ mobilization strategies; (3) how the character of the security policies implemented in the country is likely to increase the credibility and effectivity of Al-Shabaab’s collective action frames, and, consequently, their mobilizing potential. Such findings suggest that, overlooking human security concerns, US approach not only jeopardises humanitarian and development objectives, but may even contribute to creating ideal conditions for the failure of its primary security objectives.
Terrorism poses an apparently unmanageable threat to security. Investigating the effects of donors’ security policies in the developing world is of fundamental value for effectively preventing processes of radicalization and terrorist recruitment.