Steven Koltai with Matthew Muspratt (2016) “Peace through Entrepreneurship: Investing in a Startup Culture for Security and Development”

Abstract

Koltai argues that the current US approach to managing terrorism is primarily military in nature. Further, he argues that this approach will not be successful in the long run because the supply of recruits from terrorist organizations is drawn primarily from large unemployed youth cohorts in developing countries and in particular from Muslim-dominated countries. In Koltai’s view and argument, a long-run policy is needed to provide alternative future pathways for members of these cohorts. Entrepreneurship programs that create growth companies, and thus jobs, are the prescribed solution. Koltai provides not only a well-documented argument that undergirds his proposal but also draws on his experience in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries that demonstrate how such programs can be successful.