Through this action plan, the Norwegian government wants to improve the preventative efforts against radicalisation and violent extremism. There is a need for more information, more cooperation and better coordination of the efforts in this area within Norway. The efforts must be improved in different professional areas and sectors of…

Georgia Holmer is the deputy director of the USIP’s Rule of Law Center. Previously, she led the Women Preventing Extremist Violence project, which seeks to identify and strengthen the roles women play in building community resilience to violent extremism, for USIP’s Center for Gender and Peacebuilding. Using Kenya as an…

Based on interviews with Kenyan and Somali-Kenyan individuals associated with al-Shabaab and the Mombasa Republican Council, this paper analyses how and why people join these groups.

As part of its effort to educate the public about the dangers of extremism while building best-in-class clearinghouses and databases, CEP conducts extensive and comprehensive survey research in multiple countries. By establishing this ‘base-line’ understanding of the public’s attitudes and knowledge of extremism, CEP is best positioned to 1) measure…

The emergence of the Islamic State is the most significant development in Islamist extremism since the 9/11 attacks. It now controls significant portions of Iraq and Syria and has divided the global jihadist movement into two, offering a credible – and divisive – alternative to al-Qaeda. With its plethora of…

Between 2011 and 2014 the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI)’s Kenya Transition Initiative implemented what was essentially a pilot program of the new Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) concept. Aiming to counter the drivers of ‘violent extremism’ (VE), this operated through a system of small grants funding activities such as…

With the violent attacks of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) gaining traction in Iraq and Syria and a media campaign that is nearly as aggressive, the need for effective counter-narrative strategies to prevent the spread of violent extremism and terrorism is more relevant than ever. While ISIS…

The threat posed by (global) jihadism and the necessity to prevent terrorist attacks call for a robust, offensive and comprehensive progamme which combats both the hard core of jihadists and the dissemination of their violent ideas, both by means of penal and administrative measures. In combatting the jihadist movement, it…

This report illustrates the general outcomes and recommendations of the expert meeting on “Developing Effective Counter-Narrative Framerworks for Countering Violent Extremism” held in collaboration with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague in Abu Dhabi, June 2014.

Islamist extremism through al-Shabaab is increasing its foothold in Kenya. In contrast to the common perception—as depicted through government responses—radicalization and recruitment extends well beyond Somali and Kenyan–Somali nationals. Instead of exclusively focusing on external or environmental factors, the study on which this article is based analyzed the personal background…

Intelligence about transnational terrorism is generally gathered by national agencies. I set up and analyze a game-theoretic model to study the implications of national intelligence gathering for the provision of domestic (defensive) counterterrorism when two countries are facing a common transnational terrorist threat. It is shown that, relative to a…

Whether as victims or perpetrators, youth are often at the center of violent disputes. In Sub-Saharan Africa, a growing youth population, combined with limited opportunities for self-development and participation in broader societal and political systems can create a volatile situation. Instability and conflict are still key challenges that many countries…