Conflict and Violent Extremism: Theories and Evidence

Abstract

What causes violent extremism in conflict situations, and are violent Islamists a new type of conflict actor? This chapter examines ideology, identity, social networks and grievances as potential causal factors, concluding that all play important contributory roles, but violent extremism is fundamentally a symptom of failures of governance. Islamist violent extremists are often seen to be representative of a new wave of religious terrorism, but there are substantial problems with this argument: religiously motivated terrorism is not new, and some groups using a religious frame are actually fighting for territory or resources. The chapter concludes that a particular strand within Islamist extremism-Salafi-jihadism-is qualitatively different from other terrorist groups and conflict actors. What above all marks Salafi-jihadists out is their attitude to conflict, which they see as an aim in itself rather than as a means to an end.