The battle for Raqqa, Syria, seemed like a perfect storm of strategic and operational challenges. When the city was finally liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in October 2017, 60 to 80 percent of it was estimated to be uninhabitable. In fact, the battle for Raqqa…
Recent demonstrations and violent attacks have highlighted the need for an improved understanding of the role of internet-based technologies in aiding and amplifying the spread of extremist ideologies. Since the early days of the internet, radical groups and movements across the ideological spectrum have demonstrated their intent and ability to…
In April 2022, the Government of New Zealand’s Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) released its first annual Digital Violent Extremism Transparency Report. This is the first report of its kind in New Zealand and supports the Government’s overall commitments to transparency in reporting. The purpose of this…
There are thousands of Muslims from the North Caucasus being held in the Russian penitentiary system who are, according to human rights activists, one of the most vulnerable and discriminated groups in the Russian prison population: they are more likely than others to be beaten or tortured, their right to…
This policy note outlines the key details of Indonesia’s National Action Plan for P/CVE before discussing the evident challenges and opportunities moving forward. The ambitious strategy (known by its Indonesian acronym, RAN PE) could decentralize P/CVE programming in Indonesia, facilitate the formalization of working relationships between civil society organizations and…
As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, the UN has announced it will suspend pivotal activities that protect the over 600,000 migrants from the violent and criminal activities that have run rampant in Libya for the past 9 years. Without the help of outside resources, Libyan migrants will be greatly…
Recent efforts to improve attitudes toward outgroups and reduce support for extremists in violent settings report mixed results. Donors and aid organizations have spent millions of dollars to amplify the voices of moderate religious figures to counter violent extremism in West Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Despite this…
This document reports the findings of a research project commissioned by the UK Home Office to investigate select aspects of the better-known conceptual frameworks of radicalisation leading to involvement in terrorism.
Researching and addressing “radicalization” within smaller European countries is particularly challenging. Not only is it incumbent that research and approaches take into account analyses, findings, strategies, and measures from other contexts, they must also work to craft their own national understanding of the extent and nature of the phenomena and…
Researching and addressing “radicalization” within smaller European countries is particularly challenging. Not only is it incumbent that research and approaches take into account analyses, findings, strategies, and measures from other contexts, they must also work to craft their own national understanding of the extent and nature of the phenomena and…
This webpage brings together research efforts of the Middle East team of Clingendael’s Conflict Research Unit (CRU) that focused on the rise and role of hybrid coercive organisations in Syria and Iraq between 2017 and 2021.
The feeling of dread and fear all Pakistanis are familiar with returned when a bomb blast ripped through a Shia mosque in Peshawar on March 4, 2022. Three days later, another suicide attack targeting a cultural festival killed five Frontier Constabulary paramilitary personnel in Sibi, Balochistan. Scores of people dying…
