Challenges to Prevention of Violent Extremism

Abstract

Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE), of late, has emerged as a dominant theme in the broader terrorism and political violence discourse. Despite this attention, engagement with PVE has mostly been superficial and cosmetic. Part of this is owing to the conflation of PVE with Counter Violent Extremism (CVE), but mostly however, it is due to relegating PVE as a mere strategy that can be taken up during kinetic and military operations. As a result of this confusion and a number of other factors, PVE faces a wide range of challenges that undermine its efficacy and hinder its ambitions. Understanding these challenges, as this article sets out to do, will help us unlock the true potential of PVE.