Prevention of violent extremism and radicalisation that lead to terrorism

In the last decade practically no country has been unaffected by some kind of violent extremism. Suspicion has spread between religions and among ethnic groups, fear was caused by terrorists. States are still looking for a proper approach regarding this issue. However, there is no easy solution to the problem.

Defining the Problem: Terrorism, violent extremism, radicalisation

When it comes to defining the terms, there are already hindering issues making it hard to tackle the problem. Many different concepts can be understood under the term “terrorism” and much political controversy is involved. That’s why the term “terrorism” is still not bindingly defined by the United Nations:

“Debates about the definition of terrorism have frequently ended up in heated arguments about geopolitical issues such as self-determination, foreign occupation, military interventions, ’double standards’, and the ‘right of armed resistance’.“[1]

Since “terrorism” is too problematic to work with, the term “violent extremism” is more commonly used to shed political baggage, but also to bring in a wider range of considerations – not just covering terrorist attacks, but also various further actions (like spreading an intolerant ideology or causing riots) that named groups are responsible for. However, “extremism” itself bears its own difficulties. In fact, depending on what is seen as “mainstream” in given society, the definition of extremism may vary, since there could be different contexts of political, historical or cultural backgrounds. Extremism is therefore more context-dependent than terrorism, which has a more violence-pursuing core.

The process that leads people to extremism is defined as “Radicalisation”. The transition is seldom happening overnight and mostly part of a longer time period, that involves different dynamics and elements. Reoccurringfactors play a major role like grievance (e.g. radicalisation through societal tensions), ideas (e.g. the self- identification as a scapegoat) or needs (e.g. desire for power or community). In this context people always play a major role, since radicalization is a social process, connected with authority figures and charismatic leaders.

Countermeasures

Counter-terrorism is seen as the most established approach to the issue: It refers to all measures aimed at averting terrorist plots and dismantling terrorist organisations, via arresting members, disrupting propaganda as well as exchanging vital data with foreign countries. It usually falls under the primary responsibility of law enforcement.

A less prevalent but prior approach to counter terrorism is prevention of violent extremism (PVE), that should come into play and target the process of radicalisation. It seeks to mobilise non-traditionally associated security personnel, like social workers or civil society with less repressive measures. This means “prevention” of possible radicalisation, as well as “de-radicalising” of radicalised individuals.

“By giving a role to mayors, teachers, religious leaders, youth workers, bloggers, and even students, it reaches out to all sectors of society and defines the struggle against violent radicalisation as a collective task. In doing so, it recognises the social roots of the problem, enables early interventions, promotes non-coercive solutions, and serves as an early warning system for emerging conflicts and grievances.” [2]

However, critiques have pointed out that these countering programmes could turn religious leaders or educators into possible “spies” and lead to a “securitised” civil society.

Best practice: Examples of successful countermeasures

OSCE as the world’s largest regional security organisation has made the countering of terrorism and political violence an important part of its mission. Mostly active in South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia, OSCE is constantly involved inhibiting structural drivers like human rights violations or violent conflicts. Aside from that, field operations in named areas include awareness raising, development of counter terrorism, and empowering minorities. Specific fields that implement successful countermeasures have been established around the globe, including the following:

• Prisons: Prisons have recently become core-regions of radicalisation, filled mostly with young men, cut off from tradition and caught up in personal crisis, with a growing number of returnees from Iraq and Syria. The training of prison staff able to recognise signs of radicalisation ensures that problems can be detected early on. Such measures have, for instance, already been implemented in Italian prisons, where also a special prison-imam has been activated to de-radicalise individuals while providing spiritual help.
• Policing: Police forces are generally seen as a unit to maintain order and contain unrest, but they can additionally contribute to counter terrorism by making a positive effort in the community. By that, the Police are not only seen as a distant authority figure responsible for problems, but actively involved in the community and its members, to build up relationships and gain people’s trust. In this sense, a local police department in London launched an outreach programme for engaging Muslim communities to address issues like islamophobia as well as influence from terrorist groups.
• Youth programmes: Especially young people can easily be influenced by violent extremism, since they are more impulsively, lack experience and have no settled place in society. Youth work can stabilize the lives of young people and minimalize exposure to negative behaviours. This additionally can have a long lasting positive impact, which can bring young people to actively speak out against violent extremism themselves. In Sweden a community centre named Fryshuset offers social projects and activities and thus successfully helps people to turn away from crime and extremism.

Violent extremism continues to be a major challenge for our society. It causes societal polarisation, threatens way of life and creates tension between cultures and religions. Despite the political difficulties that are frequently hindering to tackle this issue, it is necessary to better understand its various faces. Many projects have already shown progress in this regard, however only a continuing united approach (like the policing strategies or youth work) can solve this matter.

References

[1] Peter R. Neumann, (2017): Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalisation that Lead to Terrorism: Ideas, Recommendations, and Good Practices from the OSCE Region. P.14
[2] Peter R. Neumann, (2017): P.21

Keywords

Terrorism, Violent Extremism, Radicalisation, Awareness-raising, Countermeasures, Returnee, Prison, Policing, Community Work, Polarisation