Participants in the Countering Radicalism as a Condition to Peace in the Caucasus Conference, agreed on the need for civilisations to have dialogue in order to counter radical movements such as ISIS.
Berlin. Radicalism and terror are global threats that affect all civilisations. Participants in the Countering Radicalism as a Condition to Peace in the Caucasus Conference, which took place from 7–9 November, agreed on the need for civilisations to have dialogue in order to counter radical movements such as ISIS.
The threat of radicalism was discussed on the basis of the North Caucasus region, but was illustrative and transferable to other contexts. It was clearly demonstrated that radicalism happens via social media and the Internet, and that there is no one profile or root cause of an individual becoming vulnerable to radicalisation.
The examples discussed at the conference showed that radicalism affects young people who grew up in stable families with safe financial backgrounds the same as youngsters raised with difficult family backgrounds. What connects them with each other seems to be a psychological component that needs to be examined further. But it is clear that each type of extremist group is a clear sign of protest, frustration, and desperation within societies, and jihadist movements are the externalisation of domestic problems that become global. Therefore, it is the common responsibility of civilisations to fight terrorism.
Prof. Malashenko, Chief Researcher at the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute, pointed out: “We need to meet, discuss, and think about the future together. To ensure joint countering of radicalism, dialogue needs to deal honestly with subjects, problems, and facts in a context of openness for all parties involved. If the jihadists from Europe and those from the Middle East are already cooperating, then we as civilisations interested in eradicating jihadism need to cooperate even more closely”.
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