Countering Violent Extremism

The inspiring stories of six Indonesian women and their grassroots level contributions to countering violent extremism are highlighted in a March 2013 report.  Written by Frank van Lierde, and distributed by the Dutch development agency Cordaid and the Human Security Collective, Looking for that Other Face, contains stories about women “who are a bridge to as well as a defense against puritanical and radical groups in the largest Muslim country of the world.”

With their steadfast faith and rejection of violent and repressive ideology, these women serve as a “pillar of strength in combating violence in their communities and communicating values to young people that encompass human security,” the report says.

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine discussed the vital impact of communication and engagement in countering violent extremism during a speech on March 27, 2013. Sonenshine highlighted the work of the State Department’s Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications in countering violent rhetoric through social media, education, and interfaith dialogues. Sonenshine also called on “other governments and religious scholars, universities, and even ordinary citizens, to build international coalitions to counter violent extremism.”

The inspiring stories of six Indonesian women and their grassroots level contributions to countering violent extremism are highlighted in a March 2013 report.  Written by Frank van Lierde, and distributed by the Dutch development agency Cordaid and the Human Security Collective, Looking for that Other Face, contains stories about women “who are a bridge to as well as a defense against puritanical and radical groups in the largest Muslim country of the world.”  With their steadfast faith and rejection of violent and repressive ideology, these women serve as a “pillar of strength in combating violence in their communities and communicating values to young people that encompass human security.”

Civil society plays a vital role as facilitator and innovator in efforts to prevent and counter the threats of violent extremism, Cordaid’s Lia van Broekhoven said at a recent conference about counterterrorism strategies sponsored by the United Nations.  

With representatives from the UN's CTED and CTITF in attendance, she and other participants at the conference advocated for a multidisciplinary counterterrorism approach, saying, “any effective counterterrorism strategy must integrate elements beyond the law enforcement infrastructure and include socio-economic, political, educational, developmental, human rights and rule of law.”  They called for “proportional” measures in response to threats, and to include input from civil society, including humanitarian groups, in the development and implementation phases of national anti-terror strategies.

Civil society plays a vital role as facilitator and innovator in efforts to prevent and counter the threats of violent extremism, Cordaid’s Lia van Broekhoven said at a conference on counterterrorism strategies sponsored by the United Nations.  She and other speakers at the conference described counterterrorism efforts by traditional convenors and military actors that exclude civil society as unsustainable and counterproductive.  Instead, comprehensive and inclusive solutions that address the root causes of violent extremism outlined in the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy were recommended.  Sponsored by the the UN’s Counterterrorism Centre, the event took place in Bogotá, Colombia on Feb. 1, 2013.

The 2012 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, ranks and compares 158 countries according to their terrorist activity.  Analyzing different dimensions of terrorist attacks in terms of location, methods of attack, organizations involved, and its national context, the GTI’s conclusions are intended to inform and guide policymakers.  The GTI is based on data from the Global Terrorism Database of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland. The database contains information about over 100,000 terrorist attacks from around the world between 1970 and 2011.

On Dec. 14, 2012, the International Peace Institute and the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the United Nations co-hosted a panel discussion about combating violent extremism in New York. Speaking at the event, representatives from the UN’s Office of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and CounterTerrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) discussed the key issues related to this challenge, including the role of civil society in these efforts.  The event, “Countering Violent Extremism: Prevention and Lessons Learned” video is available here.

Escalating violence across Pakistan has drawn attention to the need for engagement with Muslim networks and civil society organizations that can effectively counter radical narratives and decrease the pool of recruits for terrorists. In Pakistan’s Civil Society: Alternative Channels to Countering Violent Extremism, the World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE), argues that over the last decade, U.S. policymakers have focused most of their attention on engaging with government, military, and intelligence actors, to the exclusion of civil society groups.

Alex P. Schmid, Director of the Terrorism Research Initiative, an international network of scholars working to improve human security through collaborative research, has identified “Rules for Preventing and Countering Terrorism.” They include:

• Addressing the underlying conflict issues and work towards a peaceful solution

• Preventing radical individuals and groups from becoming violent by confronting them with a mix of “carrot and stick” tactics, and search for effective counter-motivation measures

• Defend and strengthen the rule of law, good governance, democracy and social justice