New SANA Briefing Paper on security, ideology, and firearms in Lebanon and Tunisia

Lebanon and Tunisia share a common struggle against extremism, but the social, political, religious, and ideological make-up of each country is quite different. The Small Arms Survey conducted a general population survey in the two countries between September and November 2023, in which 3,339 adults were interviewed about their views on key elements of their lives, violent extremism, and firearms.

Drivers of Extremist Sympathies: Security, Ideology, and Firearms in Lebanon and Tunisia—the latest Briefing Paper from the Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project—demonstrates a clear linkage between firearms and violent extremism, though manifested differently in the two countries. The paper also demonstrates that chronic insecurity and the absence of effective state-provided security play a significant role in fostering affinity for violent extremist groups. The findings have implications for other countries struggling with similar issues, both in the Middle East and North Africa region and beyond.

Read: Drivers of Extremist Sympathies: Security, Ideology, and Firearms in Lebanon and Tunisia

For more, check out:

• Security over People: Tunisia’s Immigration Crisis (November 2024)—a Situation Update on Tunisia’s immigration crisis.
• Feeling the Heat: Exploring the Link between Emotions and Violence (June 2024)—a blog post on the connection between emotions and violent extremism
• Persistent Perils: Illicit MANPADS in the MENA Region (April 2024)—a Report that provides an in-depth analysis of the proliferation of MANPADS in North Africa and the Middle East from 2015–23
• Continuity and Change: Extremist-used Arms in Mali (January 2024) —a Briefing Paper that investigates the arms, ammunition, explosives, and other materiel used in extremist attacks in Mali from 2015 to 2022, and the sources and pathways through which they were obtained
• The SANA project page
• Other SANA outputs in our Resource Library

Other news from the Survey:

• Statement from the Small Arms Survey at the Preparatory Meeting of States on the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management
• New hub for the Survey's work related to the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management
• New blog post on ammunition seizures in the Caribbean and what they mean for public health
• New infographic on the regional profiles of illicit small-calibre ammunition (2015-2021)
• New Survey Briefing Paper and How-to guide on national action plans
• New HSBA Briefing Paper on the politics of violence in South Sudan