PREVEX – Preventing Violent Extremism in the Balkans and the MENA

Why are some communities more likely to experience violent extremism than others? This is a core question for the PREVEX project, which is a collaborative research project consisting of a carefully assembled team of area and subject experts that represent both EU member states and the regions analysed.

The EU has revised its counter-terrorism policies several times since 2001, the destructive impact of violent extremism continues to take its toll, generating negative shocks across international borders. The overarching objective of PREVEX is, therefore, to put forward more fine-tuned and effective approaches to preventing violent extremism, through strengthening societal resilience.

Focusing on the broader MENA region and the Balkans, context-sensitive, in-depth case studies of the occurrence and non-occurrence of violent extremism will be carried out and brought together in a regional comparison. Particular emphasis will be placed on how to strengthen resilience through investigating non-occurrence of violent extremism in ‘enabling environments’.

The project is coordinated by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, and is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

Objective

The overarching objective of PREVEX is to put forward more fine-tuned and effective approaches to preventing violent extremism. Focusing on the broader MENA region and the Balkans, context-sensitive, in-depth case studies of the occurrence and non-occurrence of violent extremism will be carried out and then brought together in a regional comparison. In doing so, PREVEX will seek to improve the understanding of how different drivers of violent extremism operate. Particular emphasis will be placed on how to strengthen resilience through investigating the non-occurrence of violent extremism in ‘enabling environments’.