On 29 November 2007, the Swedish Government Offices commissioned the Swedish National Defence College (SNDC) and the Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies (CATS) to review what is currently known about preventive measures to counter violent extremism and radicalisation. The assignment represents the first step in an effort to analyse the emergence of antidemocratic forces in society, as well as to obtain information about interventions for the purpose of combating threats to democracy.Part of the assignment was to describe and define violent extremism and radicalisation, as well as to characterise the situation in both Sweden and other countries by means of case studies. The initial stage of the project was also to involve an assessment of the effectiveness of various tools that may be used to prevent violent extremism. Following brief preliminary studies, a dialogue with the Swedish Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality led to a decision to modify the focus of the assignment. First, a pilot project would be conducted to explore the current situation in Malmö. Second, knowledge and experience would be gathered from other European countries, primarily Denmark and the Netherlands.