Violence and Security

US Struggles to Implement Visa Safeguards

April 13, 2016

Politico reports that the Obama Administration has not so far expressed clear criteria regarding how it plans to implement a recent US law requiring, for security purposes, dual nationals of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan to apply for visas to enter the US.
Boko Haram Increases Use of Children in Suicide Attacks

April 13, 2016

A report released by the UN Children's Fund ("UNICEF") indicates the increased use in the past year by Islamist extremist group Boko Haram of children in suicide bombing attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, from 4 in 2014 to 44 in 2015.
EU Commissioner Shares Approach to "Violent Extremism"

April 13, 2016

In remarks to the UN High-Level Conference on Preventing Violent Extremism, European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos shared the EU"s policing, communications, and social inclusion approach to countering what he labeled "violent extremism" in Europe.
EU Official Targets "Populism" in Anti-terror Push

April 13, 2016

At a meeting with leaders of the European Committee of the Regions, European Parliament President Martin Schulz called for Europe-wide measures ranging from "social inclusion" to information sharing in order to counter "populists' rhetoric" on the threat of Islamist extremism in the wake of the Paris and Brussels terror attacks.
EU Considers Options on Enhanced Information Sharing

April 13, 2016

The European Commission has published a Communication on Stronger and Smarter Information Systems for Borders and Security to start a discussion on the balance between the need for more information sharing among EU member states and border security officials to prevent terrorist acts while respecting the "fundamental right" to personal data privacy.
CoE Develops Democracy Education Tool to Prevent Radicalization

April 13, 2016

At a recent conference in Brussels, the Council of Europe ("CoE") solicited support among European education ministers for its Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture, which it is seeking to use to educate students about democratic values in order to prevent violent radicalization and terrorism.
Critics Question Value, Accuracy of British Muslim Polling

April 12, 2016

The Washington Post reports that critics are questioning the accuracy and value of a poll of British Muslims carried out for a television documentary that seems to indicate a high level of support for sharia law but also shows a sense of belonging among Muslims in the country.
UN Chief Pushes "Violent Extremism" Action Plan at Conference

April 11, 2016

At a conference in Geneva, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized the phenomenon of "violent extremism" conducive to terrorism is not rooted in any specific religion or region, argued that security and military responses are at times "counter-productive," and called for achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals as part of an action plan against terror.
UN Conference Pushes Society-wide Approach to "Violent Extremism"

April 08, 2016

At a conference in Geneva that will feature a discussion of actions at the national, regional, and global level, UN Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva Michael Møller has offered support for governments and other actors throughout society in implementing the UN Secretary-General's plan to counter what the body refers to as "violent extremism."
UN Seeks "Prevention Agenda" for Extremism

April 07, 2016

AP reports that a UN conference in Geneva, Switzerland, is focused on developing a "prevention agenda" for what UN bodies call "violent extremism," which UN officials say is the root cause of terrorism, through outreach to "disillusioned, unemployed or disadvantaged youths" who are targets for radicalization by the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.