Journal for Deradicalization

The Resurgence of Militant Groups in Pakistan's Borderlands: Analyzing Shortcomings in Rehabilitation and Reintegration Strategies

2024-03-26T02:21:24-07:00

The rise of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan has had profound implications for Pakistan's border regions, particularly in terms of the resurgence of militant groups. This study investigates the potential policy failures of the Pakistani government in effectively utilizing its resources for the rehabilitation and reintegration of former militants. While some ex-combatants have undergone rehabilitation, a significant majority have been left without adequate support, possibly due to resource constraints. Notably, the rehabilitation process has been exclusively under the control of the military, with no civilian involvement allowed. This approach has created a substantial gap between the community and the ex-combatants attempting to reintegrate into society. Consequently, the ex-combatants have often encountered unwelcoming communities and stigmatization, leading many of them to opt for recidivism. This study employs a micro-ethnographic approach, with the researcher spending considerable time collecting primary data from the affected communities, administrators of rehabilitation centers, and the ex-combatants who have undergone rehabilitation. The findings suggest that a community-based approach to rehabilitation, involving the local community in the process, holds significant promise for successful reintegration. By assessing the consequences of current rehabilitation and reintegration approaches, this study sheds light on the urgent need for a more inclusive, community-driven strategy to address the issue of ex-combatant reintegration in Pakistan's border regions. Implementing such an approach could potentially mitigate the resurgence of militant groups and foster long-term stability in the region.

Could the Futility of Terrorism Inspire Deradicalization? Narrative Strategies Arising from Case Studies of Far-Right Lone-Actor Terrorism

2024-03-26T02:28:25-07:00

Despite a growing body of research on deradicalization, research has not yet established which specific counter-narratives are most effective at achieving ideological or behavioral deradicalization. One potential narrative strategy concerns the futility of most terrorism—its lack of effectiveness in achieving political objectives. Previous research argues that idiosyncratic strategic thinking, or perpetrators’ bizarre and extremely unrealistic expectations about the effects of their attacks, is common among terrorists, but this needs further empirical confirmation and has not been explored as a deradicalization strategy. This article thus analyzes the idiosyncratic strategic thinking behind a sample (n=8) of far-right lone-actor terrorist attacks, including the 2011 Norway and 2018 New Zealand massacres and subsequent copycat attacks, and drawing from this analysis, develops eight narrative deradicalization strategies. The article concludes by proposing a study testing the effect of various interventions, including futility-focused counter-narratives as well as others, on individuals’ likelihood of engaging in extremist violence.

Radicalization Pathways among Women in U.S. Far-Right Extremist Networks and Implications for Deradicalization

2024-03-26T02:37:40-07:00

Radicalization of women within far-right extremist networks is a timely issue. Evidence suggests women’s participation in terrorist activity is likely to grow in the next few years, as extremists continue to find new ways to recruit women. Women’s involvement in far-right extremist networks is greater than frequently thought, yet the underlying radicalization pathways are often understudied. At times, radicalization pathways of women are stereotyped; or women are dismissed due to the perceived complexity of understanding their support for extreme misogynistic networks. Exploring these radicalization pathways is important in understanding deradicalization and preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) practices. Existing research often regards radicalized women as anomalies, deviating from traditional gender norms, meaning policy considerations relating to deradicalization are still based on outdated stereotypes. Far-right extremism is one of the most significant domestic threats currently facing the United States. Leveraging the extant literature on gender and radicalization, this paper provides an overview of women’s presence and radicalization pathways within the contemporary American far right. I present case studies of two women, who have participated in contemporary American far-right extremist networks, providing an in-depth content analysis of their personal social media accounts and secondary sources. I find that these women are motivated by, and radicalized through, perceived threats to their status. Such threats need not be real and can be derived from real political and cultural events, or conspiracy theories. I conclude by arguing that this evidence provides avenues for our understanding of deradicalization pathways.

Influences of Discrimination and Stigmatization on Secondary and Tertiary Level P/CVE Efforts – Insights from German Practitioners into Countering Islamist Extremism

2024-03-26T09:26:34-07:00

This article uses a qualitative analysis of 25 interviews with experts from German secondary and tertiary level P/CVE programs countering Islamist Extremism to examine the influences of discrimination and stigmatization on deradicalization and disengagement efforts. Drawing on the experiential and interpretative knowledge of the interviewees, we found that both discrimination and stigmatization may have an obstructing influence on the clients’ social and socio-economic stabilization. Discrimination, whether manifested in labor market disadvantages, within the education system, or individual racist acts of devaluation, can impede progress in deradicalization and disengagement processes. Further, stigmatization due to a prior association with Islamist groups and ideologies may result in similar experiences of rejection and devaluation across various areas of social life. In this context, most interviewees warn of the consequences of security authority investigations and caution against the dangers of disclosure and exposure to the public, particularly the press. Our findings show that P/CVE programs strive to address the issues of discrimination and stigmatization with multi-layered interventions designed to prevent setbacks in deradicalization and disengagement processes. Common strategies are to raise awareness in the personal reference system as well as on an institutional level to reduce discriminatory and stigmatizing actions. Client-centered approaches encompass counseling methods on the one hand aiming to overcome prejudices against state institutions and respective actors, and on the other hand empowerment measures and help in dealing with challenging situations, such as social grievances that potentially derive from discrimination and stigmatization. Further to this, the article discusses our findings against the backdrop of empirical studies, evaluation reports, and gray literature and analyzes the P/CVE strategies within theoretic process models of deradicalization and disengagement.

Acknowledgements

This project has received funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the program “Societal Causes and Effects of Radical Islam in Germany and Europe”. This publication reflects only the views of the author(s); the BMBF is not responsible for any information it contains.

After They Leave: Exploring Post-exit Distress in Former Violent Extremists

2024-03-26T22:27:39-07:00

This exploratory study provides foundational knowledge on the post-exit process experienced by former members of violent extremist groups. While disengagement from violent extremism and the transition to mainstream society is known to involve change and adaptation, little is known about the post-exit life of former violent extremists. For this study, ten former violent extremists, and six practitioners who work on facilitating exit and reintegration, were interviewed. This led to a comprehensive identification of post-exit stressors and the subsequent creation of an exploratory framework of post-exit distress with four dimensions: 1) Daily Life & Social, 2) Psychological & Physical Well-being, 3) Safety & Consequences, and 4) Transition & Identity. Post-exit stressors may stem from radicalization, involvement in violent extremism, disengagement, or the transition back to non-extremist life. The findings show that internal and external stressors are plentiful, vary in frequency and magnitude, and are most dominant in the first 1-2 years after disengagement. The 97 stressors expressed by former violent extremists and practitioners indicate that post-exit distress is not only wide ranging, but highly disruptive, and sometimes unmanageable. Left unaddressed, such stressors can profoundly hinder efforts to rebuild a life outside of violent extremism. This has implications for evidence-based reintegration efforts and future studies.

Research Note: The role of ideas in radicalization to terrorism: Ideology and narrative vs. diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational action frames

2024-03-26T22:44:40-07:00

The concepts of ideology and narrative have become popular in efforts to understand the role of ideas in radicalization to terrorism. This review finds that definitions of these concepts in terrorism research are inconsistent and seldom linked with measurement, and that references to these concepts can often be interpreted as one or more of the three dimensions of a collective action frame. These three dimensions--diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational framing--are relatively easy to define and measure; poll items tapping the three dimensions can track progress in the war of ideas against terrorism. Munson’s (2008) study of the anti-abortion movement in the U.S. identified four prognostic frames (politics, education, services, direct action) competing within the same anti-abortion diagnostic frame. The same four prognostic frames can be found competing within Islamist and Extreme Right movements. The distinction between diagnostic and prognostic frames leads to the suggestion that P/CVE programs should contest violent prognostic frames rather than contesting the diagnostic frames that support both violent and nonviolent prognostic frames. The review concludes with a residual puzzle: why have ideology and narrative been popular concepts in terrorism research despite their empirical weaknesses, while diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational action frames have been relatively neglected despite their empirical promise?