A leading global organisation focused on preventing violent extremism has warned that the United States has made a strategic error by withdrawing support at a time when militant threats are rising across the Middle East and Africa’s Sahel region. The Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) was named in a White House memo this week announcing a U.S. exit from dozens of international agencies and U.N. bodies, which Washington said no longer aligned with U.S. interests.
GCERF Executive Director Dr. Khalid Koser said the decision came without prior explanation and reflected a deeper ideological shift under President Donald Trump away from prevention-based multilateral efforts toward hard security and counterterrorism approaches. Speaking to Reuters, Koser warned that risks of extremist violence are at their highest since the 2011 Arab Spring, pointing to Afghanistan, the Sahel, northeast Syria camps holding Islamic State-linked families, and growing radicalisation risks following the Gaza war.
The move also coincides with Washington’s decision to exit the Global Counterterrorism Forum, further underscoring its retreat from multilateral cooperation. While GCERF said its programmes—including reintegration efforts in northeast Syria—will continue, the loss of U.S. backing removes a major partner at a time when global prevention funding is shrinking. According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, the number of countries affected by terrorist attacks rose from 58 to 66 in 2024, reversing nearly a decade of progress and amplifying concerns over reduced international cooperation.
Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright
