Multilateral development actors have recently embraced the ‘PVE’ (preventing violent extremism) agenda. This includes consideration of PVE measures in countries like Uganda, where interpretations of non-state violence are contested and where the government has a history of strategic rent-seeking behavior regarding counter-terrorism assistance. This article assesses the threat of terrorism and violent extremism in Uganda. We argue against a strategic reorientation towards PVE among development actors. Current and emerging threats do not justify a departure from existing development priorities. Importantly, consideration of the political context pertaining to PVE in Uganda commends a cautious approach.
The research for this article was conducted as part of the Global Center’s program to produce a rigorous literature review of drivers of radicalization and extremism in Eastern Africa under the East Africa Research Fund of the UK Department for International Development.
This article was published in Conflict, Security & Development Volume 18, Issues 2 (2018) pp. 159-179.
Over the past decade, counterterrorism policymakers and practitioners have increasingly focused on developing a broader strategic approach that stresses prevention and addresses the enabling environment for terrorism and violent extremism. This article published by the United Nations Association, UK focuses on the potential overlap between countering violent extremism and development assistance, and what the United Nations can do to ensure that actors in both realms mutually benefit from the work they are doing.
As the so-called Islamic State expands its reach and influence, it is evident that many find its narratives and tactics appealing. Countering that appeal and preventing the spread of the group’s violent ideology is essential to its long-term defeat. Partly as an acknowledgment of this fact, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched his new plan of action on preventing violent extremism in January. This International Peace Institute Global Observatory piece by Alistair Millar, Executive Director of the Global Center, explores whether the United Nations is equipped to deliver on the Secretary-General’s new plan of action.
The new plan to prevent violent extremism has already drawn some criticism for dwelling too much on what member states ought to do to prevent extremism, rather than offering a concrete plan of action for the United Nation to undertake. However, it does build on a host of initiatives emanating from the UN Security Council and General Assembly over the past decade, and expands the preventive dimension of multilateral activities in this area.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to roll out a plan of action to improve multilateral efforts on countering violent extremism (CVE), or what the United Nations increasingly calls “preventing” violent extremism, known under the acronym PVE. The forthcoming UN plan of action on preventing violent extremism will cap an intense year for new policies and programs in the field, which kicked off during the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism hosted by President Barack Obama and followed up at the opening of the UN General Assembly. The article explores why CVE is more critical than ever and why it is important to differentiate CVE from traditional counterterrorism measures. Looking ahead to discussions among member states and the UN system on a plan of action on CVE, the article encourages states to invest sufficient political capital to ensure that the outcome is best suited to their strategic goals. Overall, the article underscores that CVE measures represent a valuable opportunity to shape more concrete prevention efforts with an urgency that reflects the scale of the challenge.
This workshop discussion paper was presented in November 2014 in Doha at the International Conference on Security and Human Rights in the Arab region hosted by the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar with the support of the Arab Council of Interior Ministers, the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions, and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The paper was prepared to help foster constructive dialogue between national security agencies and human rights organizations and offers perspectives on linkages across national, community, and individual security, and their common interdependence with the promotion and protection of human rights. It also provides examples of practical measures that can strengthen the governance, accountability, and public service-orientation of the justice and security sector to more effectively promote and protect human rights across the criminal justice chain in collaboration with civil society and local communities.
The Times of Malta published an op-ed by Global Center Executive Director, Alistair Millar, on the occasion of the launch of the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) in Malta. Once established, the IIJ will serve as a training center dedicated to strengthening criminal justice institutions, promoting regional legal cooperation, and fostering criminal justice practitioner networks based on a respect for human rights and the rule of law. The Global Center has been working to support the curriculum development process for the IIJ and to map the training needs of the IIJ’s multi-national constituency.
The Horn of Africa has long been a recipient of foreign security assistance, with significant funds increasingly devoted to supporting subregional civilian-oriented counterterrorism efforts over the past decade. Despite efforts to better coordinate delivery, counterterrorism programming in the subregion generally remains fragmented, short-term, and siloed in implementation. This article argues that it is time to rethink the international community’s approach to counterterrorism assistance to the Horn of Africa and calls for a cohesive regional approach that not only bridges the gap between security and development, but also the gap between counterterrorism and human security. It emphasizes that the international community must not only better coordinate existing streams of counterterrorism assistance to the region, but also rethink how this assistance is designed and the ways it can be delivered to complement broader subregional development and security agendas. After a brief introduction to international counterterrorism assistance to the Horn of Africa, the article examines linkages across three thematic streams of programming being delivered to the subregion: anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism; criminal justice capacity building assistance to counter terrorism; and, countering violent extremism. This discussion will highlight the need for a regional risk reduction strategy for the Horn of Africa that not only builds on the interplay of different streams of counterterrorism assistance, but on synergies across broader subregional development and security agendas as well.
In preparation for this year’s G8 Summit, hosted by the United Kingdom at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland, CGCC’s Director, Alistair Millar, was invited to contribute to a collection of perspectives on priority issues facing the G8. Millar’s article focuses on the role of the G8 as a global leader on countering terrorism, with the foresight to step away and let others, such as the Global Counter Terrorism Forum, take the lead on counterterrorism capacity building.
Fragile states offer sites of competitive advantage for militant organizations, criminal networks, and political leaders. Collaboration among them may benefit all three—financing militancy, protecting crime, and securing political control. Yet, the international community currently lacks a coherent approach to tackling organized crime in conflict-affected communities. This report, published by the Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre, argues that there are normative, analytical, and practical obstacles to the development of an effective response. The report offers a series of practical recommendations for developing a more strategic response.
This article, published in the African Security Review, begins with an overview of the terrorist threat and vulnerabilities in eastern Africa and the capacity of governments to respond. It then looks at the response at the subregional level and what has developed into the primary mechanism for fostering deeper subregional cooperation, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Capacity Building Programme Against Terrorism, and how it may be improved. It also examines how the United Nations can help to strengthen that cooperation and the opportunity offered by the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
