THE CHALLENGE

The expanding reach and destructive consequences of violent extremism (VE) are among the major challenges to peace faced in today's contemporary context. There is no single definition to VE and its root causes, as there is no single pathway for radicalization. According to specialists, socially and psychologically motivated violence prospers in a wide variety of socioeconomic contexts, be it from developing societies, where local population has little or no economic prospects, or advanced industrialized countries, with high standards of living.

With such a malleable and context-specific phenomenon, to classify the drivers of VE and radicalization, and to develop countering response mechanisms  becomes a real challenge. In this way, the AVERA department seeks to respond to these challenges by providing necessary background information for subsequent discussions on VE and radicalization. More specifically the department will explore different classification systems for VE drivers, organize discussions on the issues of causality and develop new research methods on the topic.

OUR SOLUTION

The AVERA research department aims to assist policy-makers and implementers by examining approaches through which to understand the drivers of violent extremism and the wider context in which this violence occurs. It also aims to develop innovative response mechanisms to address the issue and provide analysis of the collected primary data from various sources  to produce monthly and yearly studies and reports in different languages.

KEY OBJECTIVES

1. Analyzing and (co) produce periodical publications
2. Identifying new potential threats and develop innovative frameworks to CVE
3. Advising governmental and non-governmental  organizations as well as international institutions
4. Evaluating ongoing  policies on VE and CVE
5. Organizing debates with experts and annual conferences, both in Brussels and elsewhere