Publication

This paper examines how vulnerable Central Asia is to the threat of ISIS expansion into the region, contending that while ISIS interest in the region - and that of the people of Central Asia in ISIS - is currently low, this could change. More specifically, the authors 1) examine the number of foreign fighters joining ISIS from the Central Asian countries and the factors that drive them to so; 2) compare this number to the number of foreign fighters coming from the Middle East, North Africa and Europe; 3) look at the role of Russia in dealing with the threat of ISIS to Central Asian states, especially since people from this region are mainly recruited to ISIS on Russian territory; and 4) assess what the EU and Poland can do to help decrease interest in radical Islamic organizations in Central Asia.