Status Report: Research on the Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism

A Comprehensive Review

Tore Bjørgo and Ingvild Magnæs Gjelsvik, both working with the Consortium for Research on Terrorism and International Crime, have published a report on the status of knowledge on the prevention of radicalization and violent extremism in Norway. The status report was requested by the Norwegian Government’s Action Plan on Radicalization and Violent Extremism in 2014, which highlighted the solid Norwegian research environments in this field, as well as the need for a systematization and dissemination of the generated knowledge.

The report does a careful review of mainly Norwegian research on very different forms of extremism and terrorism and their prevention. First, the authors outline Norwegian research on violently oriented rightwing extremism and preventive measures, from the fascism in Norway in the period 1933-1945, to rightwing gangs from the 1980s onwards, and to the terrorist attacks in Norway on the 22 July 2011. A chapter is also dedicated to Norwegian research on leftwing extremism.

Then follows a comprehensive chapter about Norwegian research on militant Islamism and foreign fighters, that not only takes into account research on extremism and radicalization processes, but also a range of preventive and reactive measures.

The prevention of terrorism, radicalization and violent extremism are essential topics in Norwegian and in a European terrorism research, and the report outlines what we know about the causes of terrorism, radicalization and hate crime, terrorists’ strategies, rationalities and target selection, as well as how these phenomena can be counteracted.

Norwegian terrorism research has been comprehensive and diverse, and Norwegian research environments have been internationally recognized. The main research environments exist at the three institutions that make out the Consortium – the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and the Police University College (PHS), in addition to the University of Bergen.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The status report brings up strengths and weaknesses in Norwegian research on violent extremism and its prevention at the same time as it criticizes that research is expected to provide answers to everything – in particular that research is expected to be instrumental in the development of policies and strategies. Also ethical challenges, legal limitations and other problems regarding the collection of data and publication on such sensitive topics are problematized in the report.

Important Reading

Lastly, the report identifies research gaps and needs for further research, which include the topics of radicalization, recruitment and rehabilitation of violent activists and foreign fighters, women in extremist environments, the relation between violent extremists and not so violent extremists, and rightwing extremism and hate crime.

The knowledge report is important for all that work with issues related to violent extremism and terrorism, either as researchers, policy-makers or practitioners in prevention of and reaction to terrorism.