Feedback Loop of Violent Radicalisation: Rethinking Counter-Narratives in Context

Countering violent extremist narratives is a difficult task, which faces broader challenges. The challenges of countering extremist narratives partly stem from the predominantly subjective approaches to counter radicalisation. Counter radicalisation mainly focuses on individual psychology in order to find the motives of violent radicalisation. As a result, the risk factors and trigger factors of violent radicalisation have been largely mapped out focusing on individual psychology. An observable paradox originates from this: mapping violent radicalisation on unpredictable individual psychology could reflect the exact character of the focus itself. Evidently, the identified causes of violent radicalisation are volatile, vague and paradoxical. For instance, peer pressure, which is widely regarded as a cause of violent radicalisation, could work the other way round to prevent individuals from violent radicalisation. 

Does the structure of violent extremist narratives, if the narratives are analysed in context hold the answer to the volatility of counter-narratives? Counter-radicalisation often overlooks the structure of violent radicalisation. This structure can be defined as collective actions and their underlying values that generate beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of violent radicalisation. The paper raises two questions. (I) Are there structural drivers that sustain violent extremist narratives? (II) If yes, how do they contribute to the dynamics of violent radicalisation? First, the paper analyses the structure in which extremist narratives are being formed. Secondly, it will analyse the characteristics of this structure that harbour extremist narratives. Finally, the paper will analyse the characteristics of a counter-structure, to contain extremist narratives in the grass-roots level.