Approach Could Affect Homegrown Countering Violen
Discussion Questions: Describe the three thrusts or main points for CVE described in the article by Hadra (2016) titled a how-to on countering violent extremism when it comes to efforts here within North America. Which particular CVE approaches or programs described in the National Counter Terrorism Center “Countering Violent Extremism: A Guide for Practitioners and Analysts” do you think are or will be most effective when employed?
Required Reading
- A How-To on Countering Violent Extremism
- Countering Violent Extremism: A Guide for Practitioners and Analysts
Instructions: Fully utilize the materials that have been provided to you in order to support your response. Your initial post should be at least 350 words. Please respond to at least two other students. Responses should be a minimum of 150 words and include direct questions. You may challenge, support or supplement another student’s answer using the terms, concepts and theories from the required readings. Also, do not be afraid to respectfully disagree where you feel appropriate; as this should be part of your analysis process at this academic level.
Student Response
Student#1 Corey
Describe the three thrusts or main points for CVE described in the article by Hadra (2016) titled a how-to on countering violent extremism when it comes to efforts here within North America. Which particular CVE approaches or programs described in the National Counter Terrorism Center “Countering Violent Extremism: A Guide for Practitioners and Analysts” do you think are or will be most effective when employed?
Hello class,
As this class comes to an end we have but one final post to make and I think it is a good way to end the class with seeing as it brings a few topics to the table to discuss as well some critical thinking to what is going on. The three main thrusts being talked about or the main points for CVE described in the article by Hadra (2016) titled a how-to on countering violent extremism when it comes to efforts here within North America are expanding local partnerships, pushing back against extremist propaganda, and lastly to not make enemies with non-violent groups.
In terms of CVE approaches in the second part of the question which could best be described as useful or effective would be something along the lines of prevention, disengagement, and disruption. To narrow it down even more, my personal opinion would float more towards civic engagement and start sharing similar qualities or history is the best way to start. Social programs would also be up on the list because of the engagement with other people and getting to know other people and having someone with a less radical mindset could be a very good tool to prevent terrorists. If someone is already a terrorist and trying to de-radicalized themselves it is in the best interest to take their mind off anything that has to do with terror so diversion works really well. This can be used in a multitude of different examples because if you take a child and have it focus on something and then divert the attention to a toy or something else, they will lose focus and you have a way to open them to new things. There are plenty of approaches to take and programs to apply but these are some that I find the most useful to start with
Student#2 Carly
The first main point to counter violent extremists is to allow for transparency and communication. This should be open between the extremist groups and government offices and countries with a large extremist presence and the United States. The author also mentions the importance of remaining civil or friendly with non violent groups in the area and letting these individuals take the lead in communicating (Hadra, 2016).
Next, military attacks and presence in the middle east are adding to the growth and extremist movements. Countering terrorism would be better achieved through less violent approaches such as through social media, in schools, and in churches (Hadra, 2016). This approach could affect homegrown violent extremists within North America because if the amount of extremists in the Middle East are decreased there may not be recruiters specifically targeting Americans or Canadians to attack Western countries on the group’s behalf.
Finally, the third “thrust” is to get to the problems early or prevent them before they are problems. This can be done through training educators, law enforcement, and other community members. Individuals most at risk can be counseled and trained in a vocation (Hadra, 2016). Europe has already begun counter extremism programs in prisons, which could be adopted by the United States (Hadra, 2016).
Preventative measures would be the most effective when employed. This could include information to provide awareness to the community, activities like sports teams for at risk individuals, and community-oriented policing. The Netherlands has programs to cease discrimination, and France has approaches to mend the gap between law enforcement and predominantly immigrant communities (National Counterterrorism Center, 2014). These two nations have preventative measures in place that could be adopted by other countries to stop a potential violent extremism issue before it becomes harmful to the citizens. Preventative measures may not always be feasible if an individual has already become radicalized. If this is the case, de-radicalization programs will need to be set up to rehabilitate the offenders (National Counterterrorism Center, 2014).
There are preventative programs in place currently that address other violent behaviors such as drug use and gang violence (National Counterterrorism Center, 2014). These programs are meant to target youth that may be at risk to these lifestyles (National Counterterrorism Center, 2014). Because these programs have been so beneficial, experts believe countering violent extremism resources and programs could be added to these existing programs (National Counterterrorism Center, 2014).
Thank you for your time,
Carly
Also, what a great semester! I wish everyone the best of luck in their future classes and careers!
References
Hadra, D. (2016). A How-To on Countering Violent Extremism. The Brookings Institution. https://doi.org/ http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/0…
National Counterterrorism Center. (2014). Countering Violent Extremism: A Guide for Practitioners and Analysts. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1657824-cve-guide.html.