ABSTRACT
A growing number of British youth are traveling to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and participate in the conflict. In this modern iteration of “foreign fighters” community driven countering violent extremism (CVE) efforts remain necessary as the age of travelers to the conflict zone from geographical hotspots in the United Kingdom decreases, and numbers of those going increases. It is their immediate environments—their communities—which can help to prevent violent radicalization and subsequent travel to conflict. Weaknesses in the government’s approaches to community engagement can lessen the efficacy of community CVE capacity. This article aims to highlight some of these weaker U.K. government approaches while suggesting ways to improve community engagement that can strengthen CVE efforts.
