Radicalisation Awareness Network 2012

Since June 2012, ICCT has participated in the EU Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN).

RAN, which officially launched on 9 September 2011, is an “umbrella network”, or network of networks, which provides a platform for practitioners to gather and share best practices in countering radicalisation leading to violent extremism.

Then-ICCT Director Peter Knoope co-chaired the INT/EXT Working Group together with Dr. Magnus Ranstorp, Research Director at the Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defence College. The purpose of this working group was to provide a cross-sector platform that brings government and non-government experts together to better understand and address the problem of “foreign fighters” in the context of preventing and countering violent extremism.

Highlights

Production of the RAN Declaration of Good Practices for Engagement with Foreign Fighters October 2013

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The INT/EXT working group also produced the declaration of good practices for engaging with foreign fighters. This became increasingly prevalent following the Arab spring and this declaration explores methods and good practices for dealing with these foreign fighters for the purpose of prevention, outreach, rehabilitation and reintegration.

These good practices are based, inter alia, on three workshops which took place in Berlin in October 2012, Amsterdam in April 2013, and Antwerp in September 2013 organised by the RAN INT/EXT WG. This list of RAN good practices is a living document and is not intended to be exhaustive.

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Reintegrating Foreign Fighters with a Focus on Family Support Structures May 26, 2014

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Families are often key actors in prevention (of travel to foreign conflicts) as they can act as agents of change to convince their relatives to return home and provide support structures for those who have returned. On 26 and 27 May, 25 practitioners came together for the RAN INT-EXT conference on reintegrating foreign fighters by providing family support. The aim of the meeting was to create a workable model of foreign fighter reintegration which includes first steps and reaching out to families, defining who should be involved and methods of involvement.

The majority of the participants in the meeting were in direct contact with families of foreign fighters. The focus of the meeting was on foreign fighters in Syria and practitioners presented six case studies that included examples of:

• A fighter who had travelled, returned, and died in Syria;
• A returnee with no social network or family support;
• A young (minor) potential fighter who was heavily radicalised but stopped at the Belgian border;
• De-radicalisation in a multi-agency setting;
• Safeguarding other family members at risk; and
• German experiences and the Hayat programme.
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European Foreign Fighters in Syria April 21, 2013

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By April 2013, the problem of foreign fighters travelling to Syria had climbed increasingly up the European policymaking agenda. Policy makers attended this meeting primarily, along with several knowledgeable academics. ICSR firstly presented the results of their study and participants then reported on their experiences in their own home states. The discussion then turned towards motivations and drivers, as well as issues such as recruitment mechanisms.

The meeting succeeded in providing a fairly comprehensive assessment of the problem. It further resulted in several conclusions:

Clear coordinated communication policies are a crucial aspect of deterrence. Such strategies should be aimed across all levels from the micro frontline works and local government to macro national governments and multilateral bodies. The message should be clear: travelling to Syria will not benefit the traveller or those in Syria. It should be clearly highlighted that the fight is not glamorous.
To bolster this message, mechanisms could be set up to help those wanting to help in Syria. Online dialogues, with up-to-date news from people on the ground, for instance, could be established. Online mechanisms could contribute to the humanitarian effort easily, as well as track progress of participation.
Governments should build on preventive structures that are currently in place and adjust these to deal with the issue of foreign fighters. This could be a task of the different working groups of the Radicalisation Awareness Network.
Governments should coordinate their strategies across all bodies involved to ensure coherency and efficiency.
Greater information should be shared between governments on those that pose a risk and those who are returning. Greater cooperation at borders should also be implemented.
European countries should engage with other countries from the region to exchange knowledge and experience, as well as to identify potential areas for collaboration.
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Constructing Counter-Narratives from Experience November 8, 2012

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The meeting provided a series of concrete recommendations for forming counter-narratives specifically for foreign fighters. Recommendations targeted various levels, such as government and policy actors, as well as frontline workers. Ideally, all actors would be singing from the same hymn sheet, so to speak, with a coherent and consistent message across all levels. An interesting point was made about the ‘original’ narrative. In terms of, for instance, radical Islamic extremism, this is a recent narrative which has grown considerably since 9/11. The original narrative is one of peaceful, religious Islam, so therefore isn’t the ‘counter-narrative’ a return to the original – or norm? If this were emphasised more heavily in all public communications, it would greatly help to change public opinion or the established narrative of the past decade.

The findings of both the September and November meetings were reported back to policymakers both at the EU and Member States’ levels during a High Level Conference on Countering Violent Extremism, organised by the Commission in January 2013.
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Foreign Fighters September 20, 2012

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This meeting was dedicated to discussing foreign fighters and how this phenomenon impacts the internal and external dimensions of the Union. Ultimately the first INT/EXT meeting sought to gather relevant, knowledgeable actors to understand the discourses surrounding the problem and to get a preliminary outline of the policy options and responses available. Discussions began at the international (macro) level as to what regional organisations such as the UN and EU made of the problem and what steps were underway (both now or in the future) to confront it. The meeting then also examined national perspectives at both policy level and through learning from the experiences of frontline practitioners. Take-aways from the meeting indicated that, at that point, many participants were new to the phenomenon and to specific strategies to deal with it. Discussions led to a collection of current (and potential) responses that could be further explored both inside and outside the Union. These ranged from “hard” measures such as increased surveillance or stronger laws to prevent those travelling or to prosecute those returning. “Softer” measures included increased support for affected communities, creating the space for dialogue between government and civil society and using more effective counter narratives specific to this issue.
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About the project

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RAN is organised into eight thematic working groups, driven by a Steering Committee:

RAN-POL: explores the possible role of local and community police in preventing radicalisation leading to terrorism or violent extremism;
RAN-VVT: focusses on the use of Voices of Victims of Terrorism in fighting radicalisation;
RAN@: Looks at the role of the internet and social media in relation to radicalisation and as a counter messaging vector;
RAN-PREVENT: Examines early interventions with individuals and groups most vulnerable to radicalisation leading to violent extremism and/or terrorism;
RAN-DERAD: Looks at exit mechanisms from radicalisation leading to terrorism and/or violent extremism;
RAN-P&P: explores the possible role of prison administration and other actors working in prisons and during probation in the fight against radicalisation;
RAN HEALTH: information sharing within the health sector; and
RAN INT/EXT: focusses on the internal and external dimensions of radicalisation facing the Union; this includes issues such as foreign fighters and the role of diasporas.

Internal/External Working Group

Former ICCT Director Peter Knoope and later Mark Singleton co-chaired the INT/EXT Working Group together with Dr. Magnus Ranstorp, Research Director at the Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defence College. The purpose of this working group was to provide a cross-sector platform that brings government and non-government experts together to better understand and address the problem of “foreign fighters” in the context of preventing and countering violent extremism. The INT/EXT working group has held a number of meetings discussing the phenomenon of foreign fighters, including: