Gender Mainstreaming in Counter-Terrorism Policy

Jessica White is a Senior Research Fellow in the Terrorism and Conflict group at the Royal United Services Institute, London, UK, and has a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK. She also acts as a Gender Advisor on multiple projects, including for the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

'Gender has been badly neglected in how we think about terrorism and even more woefully treated when it comes to counter-terrorism. Jessica White’s book is extraordinarily welcome. It is a brilliant work, filled with vivid insights from research and real-world practice. It should be relished by policy-makers, practitioners and researchers alike.'Andrew Silke, Professor of Terrorism, Risk and Resilience at Cranfield Forensic Institute 'Counter-Terrorism policy has been a gender-blind field, until recently. This book breaks new ground by studying how a gender perspective has been incorporated into multilateral programming to improve efforts to prevent violent extremism. This first-ever comparative analysis of several P/CVE programs reveals some common traps that undermine their reach and effectiveness: Assumptions that youth and their radicalization is a gender-neutral process and that gender is a synonym for women’s empowerment. White finds that recognition of the complex, intersectional identities of those participating in programs and their meaningful inclusion of gender equality as a goal have the potential to transform P/CVE.'Jacqui True, Professor of Politics & International Relations at Monash University'Over the past decade, policymakers and practitioners have grappled with the challenges of realizing the aims and ambitions of resolution 1325 into the counterterrorism and CVE approaches. White adds a much-needed focus on the "say-do" gap and the structural or contextual conditions that shape the outcomes of gender and CVE efforts, reflected in her analyses of multilateral CVE programming. Her evidence and findings offer important background and practical guidance for the development of policies and programs that foster the development of transformative gender mainstreaming strategies.'Naureen Chowdhury Fink, Executive Director at The Soufan Center and formerly a Senior Policy Adviser at the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York'Jessica White's book is an important addition to the field, highlighting the intrinsic relationship between gender and security. Her case study analysis is crucial to understanding where opportunities to integrate gender into P/CVE programming are often lost. The learning and recommendations provide valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers looking to strengthen violence prevention programming through the inclusion of gender.'Emily Winterbotham, Director of Terrorism & Conflict Research Group at the Royal United Services Institute'This book provides a valuable and unique contribution to the field. Rich with cases and practical policy guidance for those on the ground, this is a much-needed book for better understanding and advancement of gender considerations in counterterrorism today.'Joana Cook, Assistant Professor of Terrorism and Political Violence at Leiden University and Senior Project Manager and Editor-in-Chief at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism,

• 1. Introduction: Gender, Equality, and Security 2. The Evolution of Counter-Terrorism and Gender Mainstreaming Strategies 3. Institutional Commitment and the Global Governance of Countering Violent Extremism Best Practice 4. Security Frameworks and the Paradox of Gender-Blind Approaches 5. Gender Analysis: Capturing the Complexity of Gender 6. Gender Perspective: Discourse, Intersectionality, and Resistance 7. Gender Equality: Why it is Beneficial for Everyone 8. Conclusion: Working Towards Transformative Gender-Mainstreaming Strategies