Dr. Gayane Novikova
March 20, 2022
The withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1989, dissolution of Yugoslavia and the war in Bosnia (1992-1995), the collapse of the Soviet Union, proclamation of the independent Republic of Ichkeria (Chechnya) and the first Russian-Chechen war (1994-96) —
triggered a global jihad in the end of 1980s – beginning 1990s. The Arab Spring greatly contributed to a further spread of Islamic radicalism. An establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its branches in Afghanistan, North Caucasus, Central Asia, in several African states, Islamists mobility and ability to mobilize the most vulnerable segments in the different societies, increasing numbers of terrorist attacks against civilians, as well as an involvement of Islamist militants in the international conflicts and civil wars, – all these factors are the sources of concern for governments and societies dealing with unconventional threats. The Nagorniy Karabakh (NK) conflict provides a unique example where an internal utilization of the Islamic factor has intertwined with a long history of involvement and participation of Islamists mercenaries on the side of one of the parties – Azerbaijan. See more…