ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

Authors

  • Vasko Shutarov Alumni Scholar, European Center for Security Studies “George C. Marshall”

Keywords:

civil society, terrorism, extremism, citizens, municipality

Abstract

The CVE concept has been intensively promoted since 2015 and counters the process of radicalization through various stakeholders within the civil society intending to raise awareness and build resilience among vulnerable target groups. The UN since 2006 has recognized the important role of civil society in the implementation of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. Civil society has many advantages in CVE, especially through answering grievances in society; improving societal inclusion, and facilitation of government-citizen relations. Civil society in the Western Balkans has been actively engaged in CVE since 2015 with the exaggerating problem of radicalization and recruitment in the Syrian context. Public awareness about the radicalization and terrorism phenomena within the society, promotion of the CVE concept, research on the local specifics of radicalization, organization of conferences and workshops, and inter-sectoral cooperation were the main response of the civil society. The example from Albania is presented through the efforts of the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) and their project based on a research study serving as a basis for public awareness activities in different municipalities, especially within schools as well as representatives of different state institutions. The example from Kosovo is presented through the work of the Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS) as a leader in the field. KCSS has been active in several CVE areas of activities such as research on various aspects of the radicalization phenomena, public awareness, emphasizing the role of different stakeholders within society, specialized training for target groups, and organization of workshops, conferences, and roundtables. From the extensive KCSS CVE program, selected project examples at the municipal level are presented that illustrate public awareness campaigns, especially among students and inter-sectoral cooperation and coordination. The example of Serbia is presented through the "whole of community" approach by Cultural Center “DamaD” focused on Sandzak area, especially the activities related to the referral mechanism for preventing extremism and radicalism, sensibilization of different stakeholders from the central and local government, development fo training packages and related activities for strengthening community's resilience

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Published

2021-12-15

How to Cite

Shutarov, V. (2021). ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN THE WESTERN BALKANS. KNOWLEDGE - International Journal , 49(5), 939–944. Retrieved from https://ikm.mk/ojs/index.php/kij/article/view/4845