By Emil Nasritdinov, Zarina Urmanbetova, Kanatbek Murzakhalilov, Mametbek Myrzabaev
Research Institute for Islamic Studies, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
CAP paper, no. 213, January 2019
This nation-wide research project explored what makes young people in Kyrgyzstan more vulnerable or more resilient to radicalization. This was done using an extensive toolkit of research methods and a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research tools. Analysis was conducted in five domains of young people’s lives connected to radicalization: 1) grievances, 2) politics, 3) religion, 4) socialization, and 5) psychology. The results of our research show that radicalization in Kyrgyzstan is a very complex phenomenon connected to many aspects of young people’s lives: each domain produces a unique connection to radicalization and there are many connections across domains. All chapters in this report—including the literature review, empirical analysis, conclusions, recommendations, and this executive summary—are structured around the discussion of these five domains.
