Countering violent extremism in the MENA region: time to rethink approaches and strategies

EuroMeSCo Policy Brief 63/2016

The foreign fighters phenomenon affecting MENA countries is unprecedented in its scale and pace. While most MENA countries have adopted “hard” strategies based on security-focused approaches, countering violent extremism (CVE) also requires the use of “soft” strategies stemming from multidimensional approaches. This means turning the current short-term strategy into a long-term strategy addressing the roots of violent extremism.