Transforming Violent Extremism

What is violent extremism?

We define violent extremism as the choice individuals make to use or support violence to advance a cause based on exclusionary group identities. The particular identity of the perpetrator of violence does not determine what constitutes violent extremism, nor does the nature of the ideology, even if that ideology may be considered radical by many. Rather, violent extremism relates to an individual or group’s violent advancement of an exclusionary ideology, which seeks to eliminate the ‘other’ group, culture, or identity.

Over the last 15-20 years, we have seen many predominantly-military approaches used to address symptoms, rather than the drivers of violent extremism. In many cases, these actions have aggravated tensions and triggered more support for violent extremism, such as when they led to human rights abuses or stigmatizing an entire identity group based on the actions of a small fraction of their members. These actions can further augment the appeal of violent extremist movements by justifying their own narrative of grievances and power relations.