United Nations peace operations are generally considered a poor vehicle for counter-terrorism. Yet, UN peace operations are regularly deployed by the Security Council to settings affected by terrorism and violent extremism. The confluence of terrorism and conflict make this co-existence inevitable, but some missions have also engaged more directly in countering these elements. For example, the UNSC continues to support the mission in Somalia, which actively faces terrorist threats, and has also deployed a peacekeeping mission to Mali amid a jihadist insurgency. At the same time, in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, peace operations have engaged in offensive military operations that target groups labelled as “terrorists” by their host government partners.
Academics and peacekeeping experts have raised concerns and noted the initial impacts of counter-terrorism efforts on UN peace operations. Building on this work, this brief draws on illustrative examples from the field to examine how the UNSC’s counter-terrorism framework has impacted the mandates and practice of the UN’s peace operations, particularly the large stabilization operations deployed in Africa. It shows that counter-terrorism efforts at the level of the UNSC have blurred the normative distinctions between peace operations and counter-terrorism to the detriment of the former. This brief concludes by providing recommendations to ensure that UNSC responses to terrorism and violent extremism do not unintentionally undermine the effectiveness of UN peace operations.
This research brief is the second in a series commissioned by the Securing the Future Initiative (SFI) and published by the RESOLVE Network. SFI is co-led by the Fourth Freedom Forum and The Soufan Center, with funding provided by generous support from the European Union, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Launched in September 2021, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, SFI is conducting the first-ever independent review and assessment of the United Nations Security Council’s counterterrorism activities.
Suggested citation:
Hunt, Charles T. and Shannon Zimmerman. Counter-Terrorism & Peace Operations: The Impacts of UN Security Council Approaches to Tackling Terror on the Pursuit of Peace. Washington, D.C.: RESOLVE Network, 2022. https://doi.org/10.37805/sfi2022.2.
Lessons from Africa: 20 Years of UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Policy
In 2021, Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 48% of global terrorism deaths. The continent appears to be no closer to mitigating the threat that extremist groups pose, despite years of counter-terrorism (CT) operations and other measures, many of which are part of an effort to implement the various United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions related to terrorism. New and innovative approaches are needed that extend beyond those that have dominated the CT landscape in Africa over the past two decades and which have been heavily influenced by decisions taken by the UNSC in New York. This research brief analyzes UNSC efforts, unpacks the African Union's approach to these issues, and looks at how these have impacted regional and national efforts on the ground before making recommendations on the way forward.
This research brief is the first in a series commissioned by the Securing the Future Initiative (SFI) and published by the RESOLVE Network. SFI is co-led by the Fourth Freedom Forum and The Soufan Center, with funding provided by generous support from the European Union, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Launched in September 2021, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, SFI is conducting the first-ever independent review and assessment of the United Nations Security Council’s counterterrorism activities.
Suggested citation:
Lucey, Amanda. Lessons from Africa: 20 Years of UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Policy. Washington, D.C.: RESOLVE Network, 2022. https://doi.org/10.37805/sfi2022.1.
Donald Holbrook, James Hopkins, & Graham Macklin
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Violence, Risk, & Rightwing Extremism: Temporal, Perpetrator, Geographical, & Vi...
Right Wing Extremism (RWE) is recognized as a growing threat across the globe. However, it is not a homogenous entity. There is broad consensus in the literature that RWE incorporates such a complex web of movements and ideological currents that any accurate assessment of threat or resource prioritization is hard to achieve. This report examines patterns of RWE violence within Western and Central Europe to tease out different manifestations of the threat, in particular as regards temporal, perpetrator, geographical and victim patterns.
Our aim is to help practitioners, policymakers and other stakeholders understand that RWE is not a one-size-fits-all problem; that responses need to be tailored; that geographic differences persist; and that while networks and groups may constitute the most visible components of the threat, they may not be the most violent.
Suggested citation:
Holbrook, Donald, James Hopkins, and Graham Macklin. Violence, Risk, & Rightwing Extremism: Temporal, Perpetrator, Geographical, & Victim Patterns in Western & Central Europe. Washington, D.C.: RESOLVE Network, 2022. https://doi.org/10.37805/remve2022.4.
