Morten Bøås (PhD), “Resisting Radicalization: Exploring the Non-Occurrence of Violent Extremism”

Morten Bøås (PhD) is a Research Professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. He works on violent conflict, insurgencies, and fragile states in Africa and the Middle East. From 2020 to 2023 Bøås was the Principal Investigator of the EU Horizon 2020 funded Project PREVEX – Preventing violent extremism in the Balkans and the MENA: Strengthening resilience in enabling environments. His latest book is “Resisting Radicalization: Exploring the Non-Occurrence of Violent Extremism.” Out of 9-11 attacks, one major conclusion is it was a Black Swan Operation which means it could happen, but intelligence services missed the signals. Grievances or underlying causes may push someone into a violent life due to lack of education, food insecurity, or poverty.  Soft Power programs, such as Peace Corps, UN assistance and USAID may provide a better life for people who are susceptible.  USAID is rated as an extremely efficient and effective self-help program.