Convening

Summary

On May 7, 2019, the RESOLVE Network and the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted an invite-only roundtable with the editor and contributing authors of the recently published volume “Extremism and Violent Extremism in Serbia: 21st Century Manifestations of an Historical Challenge.” The roundtable provided an opportunity for participants to engage in active discussions about the violent extremism challenge in the Western Balkans and implications of the research findings for policy and practice. The event was supported by the RESOLVE Network Western Balkans Initiative, which seeks to provide policymakers and practitioners new insights and analysis on the dynamics of violent extremism in the region. 

Foreign donors and domestic authorities tend to focus on ISIS-inspired violent jihadism in the Western Balkans; however, other forms of extremism—including far-right nationalism, violent hooliganism, and neo-Nazi movements—are often considered to be a more imminent threat. The research in this volume demonstrates that Serbia is vulnerable to different types of extremism and examines the deep and structural dynamics of radicalization and extremism in the country. During the roundtable, the speakers presented key findings from original research, adding fresh perspectives on the different forms of extremism and reciprocal radicalization present in Serbia.

The event was under the Chatham House Rule.