Evaluating Challenges and Pragmatic Approaches to Countering Violent Extremism
Reflections on a New York University Abu Dhabi Workshop by Dr. Naved Bakali
In April, 2019, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) engaged in a workshop to explore the theme of countering violent extremism (CVE). The workshop was hosted by New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), and was attended by academics, researchers, think tanks, and scholars from around the world to discuss current trends, challenges, and critical approaches in security studies and CVE. Tabah Futures Initiativewas one of the few UAE-based organizations invited to speak and participate in these workshops. A number of valuable insights emerged from this gathering which helped shed light on the importance of CVE and the challenges involved in enacting CVE programming and policiesat the state level. Below are a number of important themes that were discussed in these workshops.
CVE is an important concern for governments around the world. In light of the 9/11 attacks along with other high profile terrorist attacks across the globe, a number of nations have enacted CVE policies to ensure the safety of its citizens. However, is the threat of terrorism and the attention given to this threat by governments warranted? Millions of dollars are spent annually in implementing CVE programs, developing policies, and investigating potential terrorist threats, but whether or not these threats exist more in the realm of perception or realityis a critical question that governments should ask themselves. For example, in the US contextsince 9/11, the deaths of Americans from terrorism incidents at home and abroad averaged about 25 per year.[1] This hardly represents a “critical” threat to US society, yet the “looming threat of terrorism” consistently occupies news headlines and represents a major concern of the security apparatus of the nation. The threat of terrorism and national security are issues that cannot be ignored, however, as participants iterated, there needs to be a critical look as to whether the fears and concerns, and consequently, the policies and laws enacted to prevent violent extremism,are balanced in relation to the threat it poses. In relation to this point, other participants discussed how some CVE models have overwhelmingly targeted specific religious and minority communities in Western contexts.The groups most frequently targeted through these Western CVE models have been Muslim minority communities.
Some CVE models in Western nations have expandedtheir surveillance activities by requiring public school teachers to observe and identify potential students that may be on a trajectory towards violent extremism.Young Muslims have been disproportionately (mis)identified under the auspices of such programming.This approach to CVE demonstrates why critical analysis and approaches to CVE policy and programming are necessary, as up to 90 per cent of youth flagged by teachers are ‘false flags’. Children as young as 4-years-old can (and have been) referred by teachers through this approach. In an atmosphere of growing suspicion of Muslims, associations of Muslims with terrorism, and Islamophobia, a number of CVE models run the risk of stigmatizing and alienating this segment of Western society. As such, a critical examination of CVE models and programming is necessary to ensure that certain ethnic and religious communities are not being unfairly targeted by these models.
Another area in which important insights were discussed were the motivators and resiliency of violent extremists. In trying to understand what motivates individuals to potentially sacrifice their lives to join terrorist and extremist organizations, some researchers discussed how tightly one holds to a set of ‘sacred values’ may help understand the resiliency of actors who join groups like ISIS. Consequently, individuals who join terrorist organizations, while adhering to a set of ‘sacred values’ are likely to out-perform individuals fighting under the purview of rational beliefs. This helps explain a number of the initial successes of ISIS that enabledthem to gain massive swaths of territory throughout 2014. With the presence of factors which enable resiliency of individuals engaged in violent extremist activity, the question that arisesiswhether there any opportunities to rehabilitate such individuals. A number of individuals who join violent extremist groups do so seeking self-worth and significance.However, some research suggested that the quest for significance can be turned around and redirected into a constructive direction, paving the way for constructive conflict resolution, positive social behavior, and finding peaceful solutions for inter-group relations in conflict zones.This poses an opportunity for policy-makersworking on CVE programming, as they can steer their CVE initiatives towards programming that directs extremist individuals into seeking self-significance through productive and positive means and not destructive ones.
In light of the presentations, discussions, and engagements between experts and researchers at this venue, a number of ideas were shared and disseminated, which reflected the evolutionary landscape of CVE policy development and implementation. There are no simple solutions or conclusive answers with regards to CVE programming, however through this criticalengagement, insights on key areas for development, gaps, and opportunities emerged to help pave a more nuanced understanding on the topic. Ultimately, this event demonstrated that understanding the complexities and interelations of social conditions, economic factors, competing world views, combined with the need for critical reflection of CVE policy implementationis an absolute necessity for CVE programming to yeild positive outcomes moving forward.
