Description
This paper rethinks contemporary peacebuilding by analyzing counterterrorism (CT) and countering violent extremism (CVE) approaches implemented over the past two decades. Drawing on empirical evidence from field programs on the rehabilitation and reintegration of so-called “foreign terrorist fighters,” it argues that global CT and CVE frameworks have gradually narrowed their scope - from fostering inclusive, post-terrorism societies to merely managing security risks. The research examines cases from Central Asia, the European Union, and Morocco, revealing a paradox in the evolution of peacebuilding. Following the optimistic wave of the 1990s and early 2000s, when transitional justice and reconciliation processes sought truth and healing, truth - once central to post-conflict settings and transitions toward sustainable peace - has become marginal. Meanwhile, multilateral and non-governmental actors have increasingly prioritized the rehabilitation of perpetrators over the restoration of victims, thereby reproducing structural asymmetries in justice and legitimacy. The paper calls for a paradigm shift – from reactive containment to transformative peacebuilding that re-centres victims, reclaims truth as the cornerstone of justice, and envisions peace as a dynamic social process rather than a narrow security objective.
