Voice of America quotes Scowcroft Center Senior Fellow Ian Brzezinski on the confluence of violent extremism and Russian aggression in the Balkans:

Countries such as Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo have approved legislation to prevent their citizens from becoming foreign fighters in conflicts elswhere and have made arrests among radical factions. But Ian Brzezinski, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense and a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, says long-term security measures require more than mere legislations.

[…]

And compared to Western Europe, the Balkans have added vulnerabilities, says Brzezinski.

“The structures of governance and law enforcement are probably a bit weaker in the Balkan countries compared to their northern counterparts,” he said. “Some of them have fairly significant Muslim populations. Not to say that having a Muslim population is a bad thing, but it’s a reality that is being exploited by organizations like ISIS. These are countries that are in the poorer spectrum of the European economic landscape and whenever you have a situation of economic inequity, you have societies that will be more vulnerable to extremism.”

  Read the full article here.

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