ADDENDUM__II_-__Explanation_of__Push_and_Pull_Factors.pdf

ADDENDUM II

A 2017 report by the Kosovo Police claims that a total of 360 Kosovars have travelled to Syria and Iraq, the highest per capita rate in Europe. Of these, 255 were men, 48 were women, and 57 were children.

No one factor causes radicalization and the drivers themselves are interrelated in a complex web. Indeed, interviews of returned foreign terrorist fighters suggest that it is not possible to point to a single push or pull factor among the above list that led to their radicalization.

Importantly, a pervasive sense of grievance over corruption links was noted in the literature as a macro-level driver of radicalization in Kosovo, as this driver manifests itself in several discrete push factors. For example, corruption contributes to youth feeling a lack of “voice” and an inability to influence change;

nepotism and clientelism keep jobs out of reach and leave youths’ lives empty of meaning; corruption is a stated reason for the lack of visa liberalization which leaves youth isolated and questioning their identity;

and weak governance limits the provision of services and leaves youth feeling excluded.

Push factors include limited meaningful economic opportunities1 and unmet or frustrated expectations2; a poor education system and limited community/productive activities for youth3; corruption and weak democratic institutions that limit the opportunity to have a “voice”4; Kosovar isolation linked with visa liberalization5; an identity crisis among Kosovars6; previous exposure to violence; and perceptions of

Islam under threat and Muslim communities being disadvantaged7. Pull factors include recruitment through on-the-ground networks and online propaganda8; manipulation of otherwise well-intentioned religious sentiment and limited understanding of Islam9; sympathy for victims, and in some cases (for foreign fighters), opportunity for responsibility and meaning10, thrill-seeking and rewards11.

Push factors:

Weak critical thinking skills - Interviews of returned foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) noted their relatively poor critical thinking skills, with one FTF stating, “I believe that not reading or thinking critically leads one to terrorism. Before I did not read much. When you don’t read, or reflect during readings, you really can’t understand concepts well.”12 Indeed, USAID/Kosovo’s first CVE assessment noted that “uncritical acceptance of ‘facts’ would seem to make individuals vulnerable to falling prey to slick propaganda of a black and white worldview of groups like ISIL.”13 Accordingly, weak critical thinking skills increase one’s vulnerability to social media propaganda and facilitate the manipulation of

1 http://www.ks.undp.org/content/dam/kosovo/docs/PVE/UNDP_KS-Wide%20Assessment_eng_web.pdf;

http://www.icsve.org/research-reports/drivers-of-radicalization-and-violent-extremism-in-kosovo-womens-roles-in-supporting-preventing-fighting-violent-extremism/ 2https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/SR397-Dynamics-of-Radicalization-and-Violent-Extremism-in-Kosovo.pdf 3 USAID, Kosovo Violent Extremism Risk Assessment, 2015 4 http://www.qkss.org/repository/docs/KCSS_Needs_Assesment_final_42754.pdf 5https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/SR397-Dynamics-of-Radicalization-and-Violent-Extremism-in-Kosovo.pdf 6 USAID/Kosovo, Political and Economic Analysis, 2017 7http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/library/democratic_governance/understanding-push-and-pull-factors-in-kosovo--primary-interview.html 8 http://www.qkss.org/repository/docs/New_Batelgrounds_Extremist_Groups_in_Social_Media_738865.pdf 9 USAID, Kosovo Violent Extremism Risk Assessment, 2015;

http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/library/democratic_governance/understanding-push-and-pull-factors-in-kosovo--primary-interview.html 10 http://www.kryeministri-ks.net/repository/docs/STRATEGY_parandalim_-_ENG.pdf 11 USAID, Kosovo Violent Extremism Risk Assessment, 2015 12http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/library/democratic_governance/understanding-push-and-pull-factors-in-kosovo--primary-interview.html 13 USAID Kosovo Violent Extremism Risk Assessment April-May 2015 http://www.ks.undp.org/content/dam/kosovo/docs/PVE/UNDP_KS-Wide%20Assessment_eng_web.pdf http://www.icsve.org/research-reports/drivers-of-radicalization-and-violent-extremism-in-kosovo-womens-roles-in-supporting-preventing-fighting-violent-extremism/ http://www.icsve.org/research-reports/drivers-of-radicalization-and-violent-extremism-in-kosovo-womens-roles-in-supporting-preventing-fighting-violent-extremism/ https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/SR397-Dynamics-of-Radicalization-and-Violent-Extremism-in-Kosovo.pdf http://www.qkss.org/repository/docs/KCSS_Needs_Assesment_final_42754.pdf https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/SR397-Dynamics-of-Radicalization-and-Violent-Extremism-in-Kosovo.pdf http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/library/democratic_governance/understanding-push-and-pull-factors-in-kosovo--primary-interview.html http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/library/democratic_governance/understanding-push-and-pull-factors-in-kosovo--primary-interview.html http://www.qkss.org/repository/docs/New_Batelgrounds_Extremist_Groups_in_Social_Media_738865.pdf http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/library/democratic_governance/understanding-push-and-pull-factors-in-kosovo--primary-interview.html http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/library/democratic_governance/understanding-push-and-pull-factors-in-kosovo--primary-interview.html http://www.kryeministri-ks.net/repository/docs/STRATEGY_parandalim_-_ENG.pdf http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/library/democratic_governance/understanding-push-and-pull-factors-in-kosovo--primary-interview.html http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/library/democratic_governance/understanding-push-and-pull-factors-in-kosovo--primary-interview.html religious sentiment by in-person and online recruiters. Whether resulting from a legacy of socialist theory-based education or a weak education system in which teachers hired based on connections and political affiliations simply lecture their students, weak critical thinking, particularly when combined with social media illiteracy, helps drive radicalization.

Limited community/productive activities for youth - Based on local research14, youth are relatively inactive due to the lack of proper recreational infrastructure, such as educational facilities, parks and playgrounds, theaters and other extracurricular options. There also appears to be a lack of initiative from the government to invest in these municipalities and their development of positive outlets for youth, as evidenced by the inadequate and inconsistent budgeting for youth activities at both the central and municipal levels. The report further argues that due to the aforementioned lack of extracurricular activities, young people in their communities tend to resort to the internet--mainly social media--on a regular basis to occupy their time. Social media sites are reported to be the most actively used vehicle for the VE recruitment.

The limited opportunities for youth engagement are exacerbated by a pervasive sense among youth that they are not valued and respected by their governments nor by society more broadly, leading to unmet expectations and a perceived absence of hope, which can leave the youngsters feeling as though they lack agency. They point to widespread nepotism and corruption that prevents them from finding meaningful employment and stifles their ability to have a voice in their community. With nothing productive to do, no sense of agency over their lives, and convinced their government doesn’t care about them, many youth in

Kosovo feel pushed to the margins where they are vulnerable to recruiters who welcome them into an extremist community in which they feel valued.

Pull factors:

Recruitment through on-the-ground networks and online - The internet and social media have been identified as some of the main sources of information and socialization for recruitment and radicalization, and one of the main risk factors identified in the Kosovo Strategy on Prevention of Violent Extremism and Radicalization Leading to Terrorism 2015-2020. Subjects interviewed noted that the radicalization and recruitment process took place through engagement and communication both in physical and virtual spaces. Physical spaces where recruitment occurs include educational institutions, the University of

Prishtina dormitories15, religiously financed after-school learning centers, mosques, and madrasas.16 The internet and social media facilitated information, created more opportunities for individuals to become radicalized, and in some instances served as an echo chamber where individuals find their ideas supported and echoed by other like-minded individuals.

Opportunity for responsibility and meaning - Youth struggle to fully manifest adulthood given the lack of leadership and employment opportunities resulting in ample idle time devoid of purpose. Recruiters take advantage of these grievances to enable narratives of victimization, but also exploit political ideologies, religious beliefs, and ethno-nationalist sentiments to recruit followers and legitimize their actions.

There is no single formula to tackle all four push and pull factors listed above, although the drivers are usually interrelated and several approaches working together are needed to address a variety of extremism drivers specific to individual contexts. Moreover, the challenges that face Kosovo also present a multitude of opportunities for positive engagement. For example, just as recruiters are present to take advantage of marginalized youth, so, too, are trusted local actors that can be empowered to intervene to

14 http://www.iri.org/sites/default/files/2017-9-17_kosovo_vea_report.pdf 15 Republic of Kosovo, Kosovo wide assessment of perceptions of radicalization at community level, May 2017 16 “Community Level Recommendations for Preventing Violent Extremism in Kosovo,” UNDP May 2017 bolster their resilience to radical ideologies. Another example is at since opportunities for meaning and responsibility are absent in many communities, there is a potential avenue for youth empowerment in which youth are provided the skills and resources to add meaning to their lives while simultaneously lifting up their own communities, particularly younger youth that have been similarly marginalized.

Finally, the family level, researchers singled out mothers as “crucial” resilience actors who are closer and more attuned to their children’s lives.17

17 Republic of Kosovo, Kosovo wide assessment of perceptions of radicalization at community level, May 2017