Dr. Lemon says, “The claim by Islamic State that it was behind the deadly prison riot in early November is hard to verify. We may never know what sparked the riot. What we do know is that over 20 prisoners and two prison guards are now dead, with their families left without an explanation.”
Counter-extremism in Tajikistan, Dr. Lemon argued, is less about addressing genuine threats to national security and more about securing the country’s authoritarian regime. Tajikistan’s secular policies, which restrict religious freedoms, may backfire according to Dr. Lemon. They are creating resentment and a sense of injustice among local communities, which is being used by extremist recruiters.
Toler gave an overview of how Bellingcat conducts its research, highlighting how it identified the two Russian military intelligence agents involved in poisoning the Skripals in Salisbury in the United Kingdom earlier in 2018, found evidence of Russian involvement in the downing of MH17 in 2014 and identified an agent involved in a 2016 coup attempt in Montenegro.
“The destructive potential of violent extremists from Central Asia may be amplified by their ability to cooperate with other groups, particularly from elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, though not only. Some Central Asians have risen to positions of authority within IS and other international terrorist organizations, expanding their networks and clout . . .”
Based on over six years of research on extremism in Tajikistan, Dr. Lemon highlights the main patterns in the recruitment of citizens to terrorist groups and outlines the main threats to security going forward: homegrown radicalization and the diversion of foreign fighters from the Middle East to neighboring Afghanistan.
The conflict which erupted in eastern Ukraine lingers on. Officially it is peace, but when the night falls, gunfire starts again. On and on again. In the pain and suffering of the war, new unrecognized states are born near Donetsk and Lugansk.
The main aim of the conference was to bring together Polish and American decision makers, business, academia and young professionals who work every day on strengthening relations between our two nations.
Recent graduates returned to our D.C. campus to be greeted by Christopher Croft and his wife Connie as well as their former professors and fellow students who have moved on to exciting careers in the National Security and Intelligence fields.
I show that Ukraine was a linchpin of the strategy because of its industrial importance to the Russian economy and its potential as a bridge to Europe. The events of Euromaidan not only removed a friendly Ukrainian leader, but the “loss” of Ukraine meant that Russia’s Eurasian integration strategy as a mechanism to revise the international order had reached its zenith.