Mainstreaming P/CVE: Emerging Insights And Future Directions From The Global South

How can programmes to prevent and counter violent extremism (P/CVE) be successful? What does mainstreaming P/CVE mean? How do P/CVE initiatives in the Global South impact institutions and local communities? How are these programmes perceived?

These were among the issues discussed at today’s Mainstreaming P/CVE: Emerging Insights And Future Directions From The Global South conference, organised by Coventry University , the Royal United Services Institute and RUSI Europe in Brussels. The conference was opened by Prof. Joel Busher, Professor of Political Sociology at Coventry University , and the discussion was led by Emily Winterbotham , Director, Terrorism & Conflict Group at RUSI.

Some of the key takeaways:

James Ndungu and Irene Ndungu discussed the REINVENT Programme (Reducing Insecurity and Violent Extremism in the Northern and Coastal Regions of Kenya), focusing on police reforms. Improving service delivery of the national police, addressing the risk of political capture and strengthening accountability are among the project’s objectives.

Integrating PCV/E in police reforms is key, as the national police is a critical institution for the implementation of programmes to prevent and counter violent extremism. The Kenyan police has evolved over the last years, from a police force into a police service, with the aim to modernise itself.

RUSI’s Christopher Hockey presented the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia Borderlands Project “Deris Wanaag”. How can P/CVE be applied in the region, alongside other efforts such as peacekeeping and development? P/CVE alone cannot tackle the broader structural problems that exist in communities, and violent extremism does not exist in a vacuum but in a broader societal, political and economic context.

The objectives of the “Deris Wanaag” programme is to conduct research to inform policy and programming, strengthen formal and informal institutions, and address community needs to mitigate the drivers of violent extremism through grants. ?

Prof. Amadou Sall, Coordinator, Regional Cell for the Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism, G5 Sahel, discussed new research looking at how practitioners and ordinary citizens perceive P/CVE programmes. The research also looked at whether people believe that these programmes protect their security and their dignity.

The project’s survey covered both urban and rural regions of Mauritania, showing that while more rural areas perceived Western values and globalisation as a problem, they did not perceive a high level of violence. Respondents in urban areas, on the other hand, did generally not perceive Western values as a threat, but perceived higher levels of violence. How can states find a balance between hard security approaches and softer approaches to address violent extremism? How can they prioritise threats given their limited resources? These are topics that future research should focus on.

Prof. Andrew Glazzard , Professor of National Security, Coventry University and RUSI Senior Associate Fellow discussed what the “Global North” can learn from mainstreaming P/CVE programmes in the Global South. Are the categories of Global North and Global South even useful? Looking at high- and low-capacity regions could be considered another avenue. Prof. Glazzard also noted that criticising militarised responses to violent extremism in the Global South can be problematic, as we have seen similar responses in the Global North too.

Visit our website to learn more about our work on preventing and countering violent extremism:?https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/research-groups/terrorism-and-conflict

To learn more about RUSI Europe 's Thematic Trainings on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism here: https://rusieurope.eu/training-on-preventing-and-countering-violent-extremism/

Royal United Services Institute Coventry University | RUSI Europe | Adam Smith International | Tetra Tech | Emily Winterbotham | Joana de Deus Pereira Ph.D | Maram Anbar