New insight into driving factors of radicalisation and resilience to tackle violent extremism
Violent extremism has gained increased attention from the research community both within the EU and beyond. Scholars have mainly focused on the structural and individual drivers of violent extremism. However, little attention has been paid to community dynamics that impact and are impacted by violent extremism. A better understanding is needed of the roles that communities play, particularly the factors that make them resilient to violent extremism.
Dealing with the complex issue of violent extremism
The EU-funded PAVE project addressed the knowledge gap on how local communities promote and/or prevent religious or ethno-political radicalisation that leads to violent extremism. “By generating new information about ways that local communities can counteract radicalisation, we provide valuable insights into the tools and mechanisms that the EU and other stakeholders can use in managing the various factors and contexts of violent extremism,” explains project coordinator Véronique Dudouet, senior research advisor at the Berghof Foundation in Germany. The PAVE team conducted fieldwork and case studies on municipalities in the Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (Iraq, Lebanon and Tunisia). They explored political dynamics, the state’s role, and the relevance of past conflicts in the development and persistence of violent extremism. They also looked at the role of religious and civic education and media influences. Results show that these factors have a dual role. Each can exacerbate or mitigate violent extremism. This depends on the context and the way relevant actors are involved. “Vulnerability and resilience to violent extremism are two sides of the same coin,” comments Dudouet.
Involving local actors in finding tangible, effective PVE measures
Findings also reveal that preventing violent extremism (PVE) initiatives can be successful only when actors such as civil society organisations, formal and informal religious leaders, government and administration representatives, security agencies and educators collaborate. A report presented the main research outcomes. Project partners created a toolkit on cross-regional vulnerability and resilience factors among diaspora communities in Europe for a broad audience, including public authorities and practitioners involved in PVE, social integration, social cohesion, intercultural programmes and education. The toolkit was developed together with an interactive risk and resilience map on transnational radicalisation dynamics between the EU, the Western Balkans and the MENA region.
Improving resilience within communities
Another report outlined policy guidelines for multi-stakeholder cooperation in PVE. In addition, policy briefs for all seven countries put forth concrete, targeted and implementable recommendations to foster community resilience against violent extremism. The researchers developed five online and offline training modules for practitioners and local communities. The aim is to strengthen their ability to promote and support inclusive local multi-stakeholder partnerships between civil society, religious actors and government officials in preventing and addressing violent extremism. Led by facilitators, the modules are designed as an online option for individual users or an in-person group format. “PAVE looked at both drivers of radicalisation and drivers of community resilience across two regions rarely studied together – the Western Balkans and MENA,” concludes Dudouet. “This allowed us to identify what contributes to, but also what mitigates, the emergence of violent extremism at community level, paying particular attention to the role of leaders based on different kinds of social authority and legitimacy.”
Keywords
PAVE, violent extremism, extremism, resilience, radicalisation, PVE, community resilience