PeaceGame 2015: How to Counter Violent Extremism

In recent years, an increasing number of Muslims around the world, many of them young, have left home to join extremist terror groups. U.S. intelligence officials estimate that at least 150 Americans have made this journey to the Middle East. Over 25,000 foreign fighters have now traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS and other extremist groups.

Countering this trend of violent extremism was the core theme of the fourth biannual PeaceGame that took place in Washington D.C. on June 2 and 3. Co-sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Foreign Policy Group, which publishes Foreign Policy magazine, the event tackled questions about the growing challenges of radicalization, recruitment, and foreign fighters who return to their home countries after fighting with militant groups abroad.

This year’s PeaceGame brought together over 40 participants–including government officials, directors of think tanks, and foreign affairs analysts–to discuss issues related to violent extremism. Using a scenario-based model, each player was assigned a role, with positions ranging from the U.S. government to the technology sector to al-Qaeda. These scenarios led to practical discussions of the challenges and potential responses to radicalization. Throughout the game, moderator David Rothkopf, CEO and editor of Foreign Policy, also engaged audience participants in real-time polling questions related to countering violent extremism. The entire event was live-streamed and many participants shared insights on Twitter; by mid-morning, #PeaceGame was a top trend in the D.C. area.

PeaceGame’s innovative structure facilitated the emergence of creative ideas and conclusions. A key recurring theme was the need for local, nuanced responses to counter and prevent radicalization. Farah Pandith, former U.S. special representative to Muslim communities and Belfer Center senior fellow, emphasized that the solution is not “one size fits all.”

“We’ve heard the word local being used today in a variety of ways,” said Pandith. “Let me be very specific. I mean neighborhood to neighborhood. I do not mean country to country nor do I mean city to city. I literally mean neighborhood to neighborhood because the local players, and the impact for young, Muslim millennials in these communities, shifts.”

Pandith also explained that Muslim millennials may be particularly vulnerable to radicalization because they have been exposed to a narrow and violent version of their religion, often through social media and propaganda. “The issue is not about a region,” she said. “The issue is about demographics. When the only thing that a young person sees is the newest version of what it means to be Muslim, it means that that young kid who has 800 years of history behind him doesn’t look at that as important.”

Participants acknowledged that more effective strategies for countering violent extremism require a better understanding of why individuals choose to join extremist terror groups. Panelist and Belfer Center Director Graham Allison illustrated this challenge with a historical analogy.

“In 1793, in Philadelphia, people started dying from what was called yellow fever,” said Allison. “Abigail Adams explained the cause was that in the summer it became hotter, the rivers had more turmoil, which gave off putrid air, which caused the disease. About [countering violent extremism] we can talk, but I think it’s about as well understood as yellow fever in 1793.”

To aid our understanding of the radicalization phenomenon, Allison posed several questions: What is causing violent extremism? How is it being transferred to young recruits? And who is most susceptible?

In addition to Allison and Pandith, audience participants from Harvard included Belfer Center research associate Tess Hellgren, Belfer International and Global Affairs (BIGA) student fellow Olivia Zetter,  Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) student Abby Deift, HKS/Harvard Divinity School student Abhishek Raman, and Institute of Politics fellow assistant Alysha Tierney.

See here for more information and video from PeaceGame 2015.