Islamic Radicalization in Russia’s North Caucasus: Lessons from Russia’s Handling of Religious Revival

Abstract

Religious radicalization in Russia poses one of the most significant security threats as the insurgency in the North Caucasus continues to challenge stability in the region and the number of individuals leaving to fight in Syria and Iraq keeps growing. The Russian government has predominantly addressed the issue through the lens of counterterrorist operations, with most counter-radicalization narratives describing the threat as an imported phenomenon. As a result, local factors feeding into religious radicalization have largely been outside of the purview of counter-radicalization. This article examines the factors that have contributed to religious radicalization in the North Caucasus. It analyses the role of foreign influences during the Chechen wars and evaluates the role of such local factors as the government treatment of religious groups, the actions of Russia’s security services, corruption and economic conditions. The findings suggest that insurgents have manipulated local factors in the narratives that attract supporters of violence and thus indicate that unaddressed local grievances have been facilitating the radicalization process.