On Monday 27 June 12-13 PM, PREVEX together with sister projects CONNEKT and PAVE organized a Brown Bag Lunch discussion at the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) in Brussels, Belgium. The event, entitled “Impacts of the war in Ukraine on radicalisation and violent extremism in the Balkans and the Middle East and North Africa”, gathered the coordinators of the three Horizon 2020-funded projects PREVEX, CONNEKT and PAVE to present the results of their respective research on the drivers of radicalisation and violent extremism. PREVEX was represented by PI Professor Morten Bøås.
“In addition to its many other effects, the war in Ukraine has raised concerns about peace and stability in the Balkans. Given the extent of Russia’s economic and military power in the Balkans, its ongoing aggression against Ukraine risks exacerbating the existing political and ethnic divisions, which could contribute to violent extremism in the region. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – the largest grain importing region in the world, the interruption of the grain market that has been caused by the war is having negative repercussions on food security. This could in turn have negative implications for social cohesion in the region.”
Sharing their reflections on the impact of the war in Ukraine on the Balkans and the MENA region, the coordinators discussed the extent to which the war in Ukraine adds new layers of complexity to the phenomena of radicalisation and violent extremism in the Balkans and the MENA region, and whether there are new emerging drivers that need to be considered in this regard.
