The imperative of a comprehensive strategy to fight violent extremism

VIOLENT extremism is probably the most critical challenge that is not only menacing our region, but in fact the entire world, where threats recognize no borders. It is a grave threat that has already ravaged Iraq and Syria and cast gloom over the region’s horizons. Its global reach and stated worldwide ambitions make it clear that it has major implications for the geopolitical and security environment, not only in our immediate neighborhood, but also in many other parts of the world.

Atrocities committed by violent extremists and their brutal efforts towards religious and ethnic cleansing in Syria and Iraq have shocked the world. The attack in Europe by various Al-Qaeda affiliates, the 2015 Baga massacre by Boko Haram, the terrorist attack on Tunisia’s national museum, the deadly suicide bombing against civilians in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya, the shocking massacre of 147 college students in Kenya in recent months highlight the widening scope of the threat posed by the rise of violent extremism. This phenomenon gained global attention several decades ago after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan which led to the creation of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, followed by the US invasion of Iraq, which produced various Al-Qaeda affiliates in Iraq which later grew into Da’esh, often referred to as the Islamic State.