Countering Violent Extremism

Project Brief

To develop an empirical research base on the drivers of violent radicalisation in the WANA region and policy recommendations for more effective human security and counter-extremism programming.

Focus Area

Human Security

Start date

01 Feb 2016

End date

31 Aug 2018

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Overview

The WANA Institute’s CVE project aims to bridge this gap in the research by analysing individual motivations and contextual drivers behind the increase in violent radicalism in the region, as well as identifying ‘pull factors’ that facilitate the process of violent radicalisation. The project has a focus on gender variations in violent radicalisation, and will explore what role – if any – female preachers play, both positive and negative. The project will then build on the aforementioned factors through a curriculum review, media analysis, and workshops with youth, religious leaders and civil society to develop a policy tool specific to the WANA region. An audit of human security programming in the region (Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon) will be conducted with the goal of reconceptualising how human security approaches can align with and contribute to counter-extremism policies.

Activities

Interdisplinary desk review identifying radicalisation drivers (English and Arabic sources);
Interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with radicalisation experts, Jordanian youth, refugees, and female preachers
Report on the psychological underpinnings of radicalisation and programmatic responses
‘Journey Mapping’ of foreign fighters
Media analysis of extremist content;
Curriculum review (Jordan) from a driver perspective;
Desk review of human security programming (Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia);
Interviews and FGDs with human security providers, including Practitioner Partners and CBOs (Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia);
Community level con ict tracking system (12 months);
4 Policy Labs to brainstorm policy responses;
4 x 1-day meetings with a select group of religious leaders, youth and civil society representatives to develop a CVE Human Security Charter;
Qualitative and quantitative field research on the relation between state security policies, human security programming, and CVE in 18 communities in the region.