The Maghreb has faced serious security challenges in recent years. Although many pundits focus attention on “terrorism,” they often overlook the nexus between bad governance and violent extremism. Actually, security challenges derive from the continually “upgraded authoritarianism” that prevails in the region. While the so called “Arab Spring” compelled the incumbent regimes to introduce some reforms, these have been insufficient in addressing major issues, such as youth unemployment, corruption, marginalization and favoritism, factors that greatly contribute to despair among the youth and their joining extremist groups. Fearful of the new forms of extremism, European governments have sided with the Maghreb regimes rather than tackled effectively the root causes of violent extremism.