Radical Organizations Research Articles

Value Triggers in the Media Image of Radical Religious Organizations

The authors examine the process of a value-oriented context implementation by Western media in the coverage of the radical group’s activities. A specifi c form of content analysis as a method was used, expressed in a sentiment analysis of specifi cally selected material based on news publications. The scientifi c novelty of the study is the application of a text tone analyzing method in the little-studied subject of the radical organizations’ media image. In addition, in the context of the Taliban terrorist group formation as a political system in Afghanistan in 2021, it is relevant to research the banned organization media image from the point of political communication view. As a theoretical basis, an actor-oriented approach was used through the prism of the society mediatization theory as well as the theory of value identities. During the study, value-oriented triggers were analyzed in the publications of CNN, Daily News, The New York Times. The choice of these media is due to a reassessment of the foreign policy priorities of the United States of America, being the main antagonist of the banned Taliban organization. Thus, the study is devoted to the main topical issues: is the topic of the Taliban relevant in the US mass media today and what is the media image of the Taliban in the US mass media after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. As a result of the analysis, the authors conclude that despite the change in the US foreign policy strategy and the transformation of its priorities, the topic of the Taliban is not only still relevant in the US mass media but also has a structured system for constructing a negative media image of the Taliban movement, where the Western media highlights the destructive actions and the economic and social consequences incurred as a result of the policies pursued by the Taliban. In further research, the banned radical Taliban group as a media phenomenon should be studied more carefully, as well as the social consequences of the formation of one or another media obsession in the mass media within the framework of this issue. In the future, additional studies of foreign and domestic media are needed to determine the trends in the development of media images of banned radical organizations

Do Human Rights Reinforce Border Regimes? Differential Approaches to Human Rights in the Movement Opposing Border Regimes in Berlin

ABSTRACT Scepticism often dominates the debate regarding the potential of human rights for eroding border regimes. Powerful actors make use of human rights to justify migration control. However, subaltern groups can also rely on human rights to challenge oppression. In this article, I argue that the ambivalence of human rights must be contextualised within the wider human rights politics pursued by different social actors. By drawing on my ethnography of the social movement contesting border regimes in Berlin, I analyse how different social movement organisations contest deportation and I emphasise crucial differences in their approaches to human rights. More specifically, human rights NGOs, which I conceptualise as moderate organisations, draw on legal notions of human rights and oppose deportations only partially. In contrast, radical organisations oppose all deportations by elaborating non-legal notions of human rights. I contend that NGOs see human rights as imperatives that need to be upheld by the law and state institutions. In contrast, radical organisations conceive of human rights as aspirations for social justice and locate the source of human rights in social struggles. These differential approaches to human rights entail a distinctive potential for eroding border regimes as they underpin different models of migration governance.

The Network of Islamic Radicalism: Proposing a Mapping Model

This paper deals with both a theoretical and practical aspect of mapping of the global radical Muslim groups. It will propose a typology of global Muslim radical groups that will be used to formulate a unified pattern and frame to be integrated into a practical and institutional strategy. While the primary purpose is to create a typology and mapping of actors and its activism, this paper also attempts to answer a more profound question related to the cause of divergence, split, and conflict within the global radical networks. The article will show that the global Islamic radical network is deeply rooted in a local context. Almost all global radical organizations thrived in a failed state where state controls and authorities were absent, and its fabric of society was broken by ongoing ethnic and sectarian conflicts, socio-economic crisis, as well as foreign interventions. Borrowing the social movement theory, this paper elaborates Islamic radicalism movement in a broader picture of Islamic activism where its scope covers both peaceful and violence activism. By taking cases from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, this paper not only proposes the analysis on the dynamics of Islamic radicalism in a broader landscape but also highlights the matter in a comparative perspective.

A Saga of Decisive Combat of Pakistan Army in North and South Waziristan (2009- 2016)

The entire security landscape of the world was altered due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America's World Trade Centre. After this incident, the US accused Al-Qaeda headship of the attacks. Henceforth, President Bush demanded the Afghan Taliban hand over Osama Bin Laden to the US. However, when the Taliban did not respond positively, the US attacked Afghanistan. The US also pushed Pakistan to take a U-turn on its Afghan policy; hence, President Musharraf decided to offer logistics and other relevant backing to the American force sin their operation in Afghanistan. After the defeat of the Afghan Taliban in 2002, many militants from Afghanistan came to Pakistan's tribal areas through a porous border. As Pakistan supported the US War on Terrorism (WoT), a militant insurgency was started in the tribal areas of Pakistan. This research examines the counter-terrorism strategies of the Pakistan army that it implemented from 2009 to 2016. The study explains the military operations of the Pakistan army in former FATA against hardcore terrorist groups like Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other small and affiliated radical organizations. It is analyzed that military operations namely Rah-e-Nijat and Zarb-e-Azb in former FATA with a focus on North and South Waziristan relatively remained successful.

Seeing Shadows: The FBI Surveillance of Louise Thompson Patterson

This article explores the ways gender and race influenced the FBI’s surveillance of Black women activists. Previous scholarship has covered the role of surveillance in repressing revolutionary movements and neutralizing radical organizations. Historically, within many social movements, Black women have been marginalized, silenced, or reduced to only their gender because of patriarchal leadership. As a result, the persistence of sexism within these Black movements has affected Black women’s visibility within movement organizations. This piece asks, how does gendered marginalization impact their surveillance by and visibility to the FBI? It seeks to understand the influence of race and gender on the FBI’s surveillance of Louise Thompson Patterson. By examining the language and narrative components of her FBI file, the article provides an analysis across gender and across time to theorize the dynamics of surveillance, race, and gender. Based on a close analysis of Patterson’s FBI file, I argue that the tension between hypervisibility and invisibility deriving from gendered stereotypes resulted in the Bureau’s vague understanding of her personal life and political ideology.

Revisiting the Jihad Ideology in Islamic International Law and its Appropriation by Nonstate Actors

Jihad is quintessentially a religious doctrine and, notwithstanding difficulties of conceptualization, constitutes a foundational principle of both the shari’a (religious law of Islam) and (the siyar) Islamic international law. Jihad, in all its variants, is designed to further the will and dictates of God Almighty and must be distinguished from worldly struggles such as tribal rivalries and national conflicts or international wars. With its focus on Jihad, this article has four key objectives: First, since the Jihad ideology has retained primacy and centrality within the historiography of the siyar, this article critically examines its key facets. Second, in its historical incarnation, Jihad obligations were placed upon the whole of the Muslim community as fard al-kifayah (collective obligation). However, in more recent times, the doctrine has been appropriated almost exclusively by terrorist organizations, who have insisted that Jihad is in fact fard al-‘ayn (individual obligation) to be pursued aggressively by individuals and non-State actors. This appropriation is manifested in the practices of terrorists and radical organizations, including Al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as by the Taliban regime that retook control of Afghanistan in 2021. In evaluating the adoption and implementation of the Jihad ideology by contemporary terrorist or radical organizations, this article assesses the future direction of this doctrine within contemporary Muslim societies. Third, Jihad, overtime, has adopted the form of Islam’s bellum iustum (just war) and enunciated rules justifying or legitimizing the use of force as well as determining and regulating the conduct of hostilities. The Jihad ideology segments and distinguishes between what is termed as jus ad bellum (laws which provide grounds justifying the use of force) and jus in bello (laws which regulate the conduct of hostilities). This article investigates the various substantial juristic dissensions that exist in the conceptualization of the pre-modern Jihad principles relating to jus in bello and jus ad bellum. Fourth, while the article demonstrates that the Jihad ideology pervades Islamic international law, an investigation into the siyar also provides evidence that Islamic international law has also been significantly engaged with other important subjects within Muslim jurisdictions including diplomatic immunities, international trade and commercial relations.

Apostles of Change: Latino Radical Politics, Church Occupations, and the Fight to Save the Barrio

Apostles of Change: Latino Radical Politics, Church Occupations, and the Fight to Save the Barrio

Dreams of a united Left? The SDA’s role in the rise (and fall) of a radical New Left in Queensland

Despite its reputation as a conservative heartland in the twentieth century, the Australian state of Queensland was also home to some of the most radical left-wing activists the country ever produced. Student activists such as Brian Laver and Mitch Thompson were central to the establishment of the Society for Democratic Action (SDA), a radical organisation that helped usher in the New Left in Queensland. This article examines the SDA’s importance in forging a consensus-driven coalition between the Old and New Left in 1967, as well as the central role played by the SDA’s charismatic leader Laver in the dissolution of that coalition as he led radical leftists in Queensland to increasingly adopt militant tactics in their fight against a repressive conservative government.

Narratives of Social Conflict in the Merstallinger Trial, 1883

AbstractThe robbery of Viennese shoe manufacturer Josef Merstallinger on 4 July 1882 led to a political trial of social radicals the following year. When Merstallinger's assailants were arrested, they admitted to the crime and professed to have carried it out to raise funds for the radical socialist movement. In response, the police arrested dozens of radical activists and eventually charged twenty-nine people with crimes including high treason. The authorities, including the chief of the Vienna police and state's attorney, characterized the robbery as part of an international anarchist conspiracy that threatened violent revolution against the basis of Austrian and European civilization. The trial was thus intended to cripple the radical organization and demonstrate the dangers socialist politics posed to the public. A counternarrative for the defendants stressed the relative harmlessness of the radical movement, general harmony of Austrian social relations, and rights of the accused to free speech and to protection from arbitrary treatment by the police. A public jury trial suggested the greater persuasiveness of the latter narrative, as the jury acquitted the defendants of all charges except those directly related to the robbery.

Eurasian integration and the interstate conflict potential of the countries of the Central Asian region

The article considers external security challenges in the Central Asian region (CAR), the causes of interstate instability and the emergence of regional conflicts. This study was conducted within the framework of the theory of conflict. The main conflict-causing foreign policy factors in the CAR are: the presence of hotbeds of military conflicts near the countries of the region; the threat of the spread of instability in the countries of the region and the likelihood of armed provocations; the activities of international terrorist and radical organizations and groups, the strengthening of the positions of religious extremism in neighboring countries near the borders of the CAR countries; the strengthening of China's economic role and its penetration into the CAR, the growing dependence of the countries of the region on the PRC; the penetration of extra-regional, Western actors into the CAR; conflicting interethnic and interstate contradictions and territorial-border disputes. The problems of cross-border interaction and the general use of water and energy resources in the CAR are considered. The reasons for the emergence of interstate conflict situations are indicated. These are the shortage of water and energy resources; territorial and border disputes with neighbors and the claims of some states to regional leadership; unresolved territorial claims, accumulated territorial disputes between the CAR states with insufficient validity of borders. Various approaches to solving the problem of water scarcity in the CAR are analyzed. Conclusions and forecasts of developments regarding the development of Eurasian integration and ensuring Russia's national interests in the CAR are given. It is concluded that the current and prospective situation in the CAR is based on integration and conflict scenarios. These two categories make up a dialectical pair, with the help of which it is possible to understand and describe the processes in the CAR, and throughout the post-Soviet space. Probabilistic scenarios of the development of integration processes in the Central Asian countries for the medium and long term are proposed.

Environmental Radicalism in Public Organizations of the FRG at the Present Stage

This article is devoted to the study of public environmental organizations in Germany. The largest of them are “NABU” and “BUND”, which have existed for a long time. They operate at a high scientific level throughout the country, from mass events and environmental education to study of global environmental problems and the development of ways to solve them. Particular attention is paid to radical environmental organizations such as “Robin Wood”, “Earth First!”, “Earth Liberation Front”and” Animal Liberation Front”. Their activities are concentrated locally, and their methods of solving environmental problems are harder. As a rule, eco-radical protests are aimed at attracting public attention and encouraging the ruling authorities to take measures to change the environmental situation in a particular region. The attitude of the population to such methods of struggle is ambiguous, but no one is indifferent. Despite the peak of activity of these organizations has passed, this does not prevent them from existing, conducting educational activities and attracting new supporters to their ranks, since some of their initiatives remain relevant to this day.

On Development of Muslim Community of the Republic of Tatarstan in 2021

The article is devoted to the development of the Muslim community of the Republic of Tatarstan (RT) in 2021. The author continues a series of articles exploring the Muslim community of Tatarstan in 2000–2010-s. The article concludes that stability in the religious sphere is generally maintained in the Republic of Tatarstan. In the context of the continuation of the pandemic, social activities are becoming increasingly important. The most important socio- political plot for the Tatar religious fi gures of Russia was the preparation and participation in the All- Russian Population Census of 2021. The VIII Congress of the Muslim Spiritual Administration (MSA) of the Republic of Tatarstan retained the former Mufti and Bash-qadi (the main Sharia judge) of the MSA of the Republic of Tatarstan in their posts. Law enforcement agencies continue to identify the activities and punish representatives of radical organizations banned in the Russian Federation

What the Democratic Party Has Become

This was one of SCSS President Stephen M. Krason’s “Neither Left nor Right, but Catholic” columns in The Wanderer in 2021. In it, he writes that the Democratic party has increasingly embraced the agenda of the left, been tolerant of violence by radical organizations, been willing to compromise the principle of the rule of law, and shown increasing intolerance of opposing perspectives and a tendency to political repression. This article is reprinted with permission.

Trajectory of religious radicalization

 The article discusses the stages of radicalism in Kazakhstan, the external and internal factors that led to terroristic activities within the country’s territory and to the departure of individuals - sometimes entire families - to the combat zones in the Middle East. The author suggests that the universality of contemporarily neo-fundamentalism may be successfully conceptualized in terms of “deterritorialisation” and “deculturation” coined by a French political scientist Olivier Roy. The article also attempts to precise the key problems related to the concept of “radicalization”. Being wildly used in scholarly literature, here it is an umbrella term to describe various means to turn the worldview of an individual or a community to make it extreme, militant and violent. The author argues that there cannot be a single depiction of a radical nor a universal path of radicalization. The trajectory of radicalization is constantly evolving. It is crucial to bear in mind that radicalization is not a process independent of person’s worldview, on the contrary, it is all about socialization of an individual, his/her deliberate drawing into a new worldview. Moreover, the empirical data contained in the article show that the ideas of violence are not propagated. The ideologues of radical organizations preach the values of different nature such as religious education, aid to the coreligionists, building of the brotherhood, idealized life in an ideal society. Key words: radicalization, neofundamentalism, jihadism, the Islamicisation of radicalism

Террор как неотъемлемый компонент в теории и практике «Сендеро Луминосо». Факторы радикализации сендеристской идеологии

The purpose of the paper is to determine the causes and origins for the use of terrorist fighting methods in the activities of the Maoist left-wing radical organisation “Sendero Luminoso” (“The Shining Path”). In addition to elaborating upon matters and viewpoints related to the issue of the hardening of the organisation’s world outlook, the researcher reveals the significance of the intimidation tactics carried out by this left-wing radical group against state institutions and competitors within the political left. Scientific novelty lies in conducting a comprehensive analysis of studies by foreign authors interpreting the issue pertaining to the use of terrorist methods by Abimael Guzman’s organisation. As a result of the research, it has been found that the willingness to use violent ways of influencing the masses is an inherent feature of the whole Senderist philosophy, formed under the influence of external and internal conditions.

Environmental activism as counter-hegemony? A comparative critical discourse analysis of self-representations of radical environmental organisations

ABSTRACT Environmental activism involves subverting dominant cultural practices in an aim to raise awareness not only of local issues, but increasingly of global environmental challenges. However, to successfully mobilise target publics, activists need to self-represent in ways that do not compromise their legitimacy. This study reports on a critical discourse analysis of online manifestos of three environmental organisations: Extinction Rebellion (UK), Deep Green Resistance (US), Pracownia na Rzecz Wszystkich Istot (Poland). It offers a comparison of linguistic, rhetorical and visual resources recruited to promote the opposition to selected dominant values as a desirable, even necessary, orientation in a climate emergency.

Realizing the Horn of Africa in a New Context: Challenges and Opportunities for Peace in Somalia

In 1991 growing political pressure and infighting led to the collapse of the Somalia government. Key institutions of governance disintegrated, and public services could no longer be provided. The Somali National Army was amongst the key institutions that collapsed and, in its place, warlords and clan militias emerged to fill the gap. Henceforth for over two decades, these non-state actors competed over control of both political and economic power while other radical organizations such as Al-Shaabab emerged with an objective to establish an Islamic state. This instability thus led to displacement of populations, insecurity both at the domestic and regional level. This thesis seeks to examine how the collapse of Somali impacted the military and why moving forward in the transitional period, reforming the military is vital to the future of Somalia and geopolitical and economic stability. The thesis adopts state building and realism as it theoretical frameworks and argues for the need of military reforms within the conceptual frameworks of security reforms. Specifically, the thesis reiterated that if the Horn of Africa and the greater Eastern Africa region is to experience geopolitical and economic stability, then the SNA should undertake key reforms in order to reinforce its capacity to resolve domestic instability in Somalia which is the causal factor in geopolitical and economic instability caused by threats such as terrorism, piracy, and bilateral tensions between regional states. The study suggests that reforms in the military such institutional capacity building, coordination of security assistance, and establishing civilian oversight over military is critical in reviving the capacity of SNA and with it, the first step towards restoring regional stability.

The Radicalization of German Political Conservatism During World War I

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to determine whether the final transformation of the German Conservative Party (Deutschkonservative Partei; DKP) into a right-wing radical organisation, that lost its connection to traditional conservative values and paved the way for the takeover of power by National Socialists, took place during World War I. The article examines both the factors contributing to the radicalisation of the DKP’s policy during the war and the main arguments within the Party during 1914-1918, comparing external political events with the DKP’s reaction to them in the press and the Reichstag.

The Transformation of Radical Movement in Yogyakarta post-2019 Presidential Election

Radical movements colored the 2019 Elections, especially the dichotomy of the Jokowi and Prabowo camps. This phenomenon also occurs among the people of Yogyakarta after the 2019 Presidential Election. The research aims to map the transformation of fundamentalist groups in Yogyakarta after the 2019 Presidential Election. The significant analysis was carried out to provide sources of information to the public and government regarding the transformation of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) after the 2019 Presidential Election. The researchers used qualitative descriptive methods with the analysis of the theory of social resource mobilization. The research results showed that the transformation of the radical movement that formerly took the anarchist forms and down to the streets, now is more focused and organized by entering the community through religious education and recitation groups, both in universities and at household meetings. This research concludes that in order not to be parallel to HTI, which the government dissolved, the transformation of tranquility is one way to maintain the existence of radical organizations but in a more friendly framework or guise. All of these resource mobilization movements take the form of informal social networks.

Migration controls and counter-terrorism in Europe: a discussion of challenges and policies

This paper explores the European suspicion against the migrants and analyses the European security concerns regarding terrorist attacks. The paper shows that Europeans’ wrong perception about migrants has been created by homogenizing the category of migrants as well as politicizing the issue of migrants for electoral maneuvering. The suspicion has been grown after the 9/11 terrorist attack on America. Islamic radical organization Al-Qaeda perpetrated this attack to achieve its political agenda. This attack gave legitimacy to America and Europe to suspect everybody who is coming into their area. The studies on linking migration with terrorism show scanty evidence, but scholars have biased opinions on this. The paper explores all these issues.