02 October 2018
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- ASEAN Way to Prevent or Counter Violent Extremism?
ASEAN Way to Prevent or Counter Violent Extremism?
Singapore, as chairman of Asean, is convening a Southeast Asia Counter-Terrorism Symposium this week. The challenge, writes Cameron Sumpter, is to find a middle ground so that grassroots initiatives to prevent or counter violent extremism do not lose legitimacy through close association with a state’s national security structure that tends to stigmatise Muslim communities.
A diverse range of countries has been striving to disrupt pathways towards violent extremism in recent years, with varied results. Criticisms rise from both ends of the political spectrum in the West, while problems exist elsewhere regarding coordination and state control.
As part of its Asean Chairmanship in 2018, Singapore is convening a Southeast Asia Counter-Terrorism Symposium on Thursday and Friday, which will bring together regional thought leaders and emphasise the importance of building a collective approach. What can we learn from the shortcomings of policies to prevent or counter violent extremism (P/CVE) to date, and how can Asean develop its aspirational statements of the past into unified practical action moving forward?
… Cameron Sumpter is an Associate Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS), a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU). This first article appeared in RSIS Commentaries.
CENS / Online
