Disengagement from Violence and Terrorism: A Comparative Analysis of the Niger Delta, Nigeria, and the Balkans

Abstract

A review of literature on the topic of radicalization and terrorism in the Balkans and in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, indicated a lack of empirical and systematic research on factors that motivate individuals to disengage from violence and terrorist organizations. This study fills that gap and adds to the global body of knowledge on disengagement from violence and terrorism. Drawing largely from their dissertation studies, the authors’ intent for this comparative study was to stimulate debate around factors associated with disengagement from violence and terrorism. The study focused on addressing the factors that prompt residents of the Niger Delta, Nigeria, to renounce violence and a number of Kosovo’s foreign fighters to disengage from terrorist groups fighting in the Syrian and the Iraq conflict. The conceptual framework for this study was built around social, psychological, and physical factors associated with disengagement from terrorism. The content analysis technique was applied to identify emergent themes. The findings generated from this study may enhance the readers understanding of the factors associated with disengagement from violence and terrorism, and potentially lead to the development of more efficient counter-radicalization and counterterrorism policies in not only the Niger Delta, Nigeria, and the Balkans, but also globally.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n4p237