The Resolve Network

article

29 September 2022 /
Journeys through Extremism: The Experiences of Forced Recruits in Boko Haram
This case study provides exploratory research into the personal journeys of forced recruits into Boko Haram, to examine how they entered the organization, the conditions they experienced in camps and settlements, their exits from the group, their subsequent experiences in state hands, and their perspectives about future reintegration. These themes are particularly pertinent given the mass disengagements from Boko Haram in spring 2022, and the extent to which federal and state systems lack the capacity to absorb and handle the large numbers involved. Research was undertaken at Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC), a program established in 2016 by the Nigerian state to provide an off-ramp for members of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) deemed to be ‘low risk’ by military intelligence. Located at Mallam Sidi on the outskirts of Gombe, the OPSC program houses cohorts of around six hundred clients at any point in time. This report features the findings from thirteen in-depth interviews with participants in the OPSC program to provide important insights into the state-sponsored off-ramp from this group.  Suggested citation: Khalil, James, MaryAnne Iwara, & Martine Zeuthen, Journeys through Extremism: The Experiences of Forced Recruits in Boko Haram. Washington, DC: RESOLVE Network, 2022. https://doi.org/10.37805/cbags2022.2.
article

21 September 2022 / Jessica Moody
The Role of CBAGs in Combatting the Expansion of Islamist Extremism in Côte D’Ivoire and Benin
While Islamist extremist groups had been present and involved in criminal activities in northern Mali since the early 2000s, they began to gain ground in the Sahel around 2012, when small, local insurgencies connected with al-Qaeda began launching attacks in northern Mali. Now, both Benin and Côte d’Ivoire find themselves periodically targeted by these groups. The role of community based armed groups (CBAGs) within this evolving threat is extremely important. The relationship between the state, local communities, and CBAGs is therefore crucial for coastal West African states to manage effectively. This is not least because CBAGs’ local knowledge and connections make them, if mobilized well, potentially valuable resources in combatting the proliferation of jihadist violence in coastal states. This Policy Note seeks to address the challenges and opportunities posed by the role of CBAGs in combatting the expansion of Islamist extremism in Côte D’Ivoire and Benin. Suggested citation: Moody, Jessica, The Role of CBAGs in Combatting the Expansion of Islamist Extremism in Côte D’Ivoire and Benin. Washington, DC: RESOLVE Network, 2022. https://doi.org/10.37805/pn2022.2.cbags.
article

15 September 2022 / Besa Arifi
Education in Preventing & Countering Violent Extremism: Considerations for the Western Balkans
Violent extremism in the Western Balkans takes many forms, from Western Balkans foreign fighters recruited to participate in conflicts abroad, including in the Middle East and Ukraine; to ethno-nationalist organizations that spread inter-ethnic hatred, some emanating from and glorifying legacies of conflict spanning back to the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and regional conflicts in the 1990s; to chauvinism and anti-EU and anti-NATO ideas  that emerge to become even more serious and with greater consequences for the region and socio-political cohesion and dynamics. As violent extremism continues to evolve and adapt in the Western Balkan countries, efforts to address it must also adjust to new threats from both internal and external sources. Recent research on violent extremism in the Western Balkans, and North Macedonia specifically, suggests that education may be an important tool in addressing violent extremism in the region. Some have suggested educational initiatives may assist in addressing online and offline disinformation and extremist narratives. Furthermore, addressing ongoing issues within ethnically divided educational systems may play an important role in working to address some of the ethnic-based divisions that can contribute to ”othering” dynamics. Others have further suggested that education and other support services can play a role in aiding the transition of those imprisoned on charges related to violent extremism and returning families back into society. As countries throughout the Western Balkans continue to update and revise their national action plans and policies to address violent extremism, greater consideration of the role of education and how it might be integrated into these policies is needed. This publication, based on findings from a large-scale literature review mapping the state of research on education in P/CVE in the Western Balkans and beyond,offers a series of considerations for policymakers and practitioners looking to incorporate education in future efforts to address drivers, both real and potential, of violent extremism in Western Balkan states. While findings from this paper are contextualized within the broader experiences of the Western Balkans, specific examples based on experiences in individual countries, North Macedonia most notably, are detailed to provide an in-depth example of considerations for policymakers interested in further incorporating education into P/CVE plans moving forward.   Suggested citation: Arifi, Besa, Education in Preventing & Countering Violent Extremism: Considerations for the Western Balkans. Washington, DC: RESOLVE Network, 2022. https://doi.org/10.37805/pn2022.1.wb.
Insight

14 September 2022 / Naureen Chowdhury Fink, Alistair Millar, and Eric Rosand
Securing the Future Initiative | The UN Security Council and Counterterrorism 21 Years after 9/11: Why a Paradigm Shift Is Needed
Launched in September 2021 on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the Securing the Future Initiative (SFI) is conducting the first-ever independent review and assessment of the United Nations Security Council’s counterterrorism activities. Earlier this year, RESOLVE partnered with SFI to publish a series of research briefs investigating specific aspects of UN counterterrorism policies. The first two of these briefs have been published, and are available here and here.  Later this month, SFI will launch its report, offering a menu of recommendations to address these concerns and to build on progress made to date. SFI seeks to encourage greater emphasis on assessing the effectiveness and impacts of counterterrorism measures, to ensure they cannot be instrumentalized to undercut the very principles and purposes of the United Nations, and to underscore the continued importance of multilateral and wider international collaboration and cooperation in addressing terrorist threats in 2022 and beyond.  Ahead of the release of this report, the SFI co-leads have authored an article marking the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks that fundamentally transformed the international security and wider multilateral landscape.   >> Read the full piece here.

Policy Notes

Besa Arifi

15 September 2022

Education in Preventing & Countering Violent Extremism: Considerations for the W...

Violent extremism in the Western Balkans takes many forms, from Western Balkans foreign fighters recruited to participate in conflicts abroad, including in the Middle East and Ukraine; to ethno-nationalist organizations that spread inter-ethnic hatred, some emanating from and glorifying legacies of conflict spanning back to the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and regional conflicts in the 1990s; to chauvinism and anti-EU and anti-NATO ideas  that emerge to become even more serious and with greater consequences for the region and socio-political cohesion and dynamics. As violent extremism continues to evolve and adapt in the Western Balkan countries, efforts to address it must also adjust to new threats from both internal and external sources. Recent research on violent extremism in the Western Balkans, and North Macedonia specifically, suggests that education may be an important tool in addressing violent extremism in the region. Some have suggested educational initiatives may assist in addressing online and offline disinformation and extremist narratives. Furthermore, addressing ongoing issues within ethnically divided educational systems may play an important role in working to address some of the ethnic-based divisions that can contribute to ”othering” dynamics. Others have further suggested that education and other support services can play a role in aiding the transition of those imprisoned on charges related to violent extremism and returning families back into society. As countries throughout the Western Balkans continue to update and revise their national action plans and policies to address violent extremism, greater consideration of the role of education and how it might be integrated into these policies is needed. This publication, based on findings from a large-scale literature review mapping the state of research on education in P/CVE in the Western Balkans and beyond,offers a series of considerations for policymakers and practitioners looking to incorporate education in future efforts to address drivers, both real and potential, of violent extremism in Western Balkan states. While findings from this paper are contextualized within the broader experiences of the Western Balkans, specific examples based on experiences in individual countries, North Macedonia most notably, are detailed to provide an in-depth example of considerations for policymakers interested in further incorporating education into P/CVE plans moving forward.   Suggested citation: Arifi, Besa, Education in Preventing & Countering Violent Extremism: Considerations for the Western Balkans. Washington, DC: RESOLVE Network, 2022. https://doi.org/10.37805/pn2022.1.wb.

Welcome to the Resolve Network