Risk of Radicalisation in the Time of Russo-Ukrainian War: Exploiting the Weaknesses of Czech Society as a Threat to National Security
Abstract
Recent violent incidents between members of the Romani and Ukrainian communities may carry the risk of radicalisation and outbreaks of violence on a societal scale. However, the causes of these clashes and the mobilisation of different groups against Ukrainian refugees have deeper roots in the long-standing ineffectively addressed structural problems faced to varying degrees by all disadvantaged communities in our country.
The accelerator, not the cause, of radicalisation may be the distorted information disseminated in the online environment, including the malign influence of foreign actors. The most vulnerable to these influences are individuals who suffer from heightened feelings of insecurity, tend to see the world in black and white terms, experience grievances and face social exclusion and isolation.
Exposing these vulnerabilities in our society should be seen as an opportunity to strengthen cohesion and minimise the potential for conflict, which in times of crisis is an immediate threat to national security. Respectful strategic communication, strengthening local communities and security, but in the long term, especially increasing the resilience of social capital, should serve as tools for solutions.