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Policy of Central Asia Countries in Resisting Religious Radicalism

71
Rubric: At Post-Soviet Space
DOI: 10.20542/0131-2227-2026-70-4-87-98
EDN: LPSLQY
D. Malysheva, ORCID 0000-0002-8625-6132, dsheva@mail.ru
Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), 23, Profsoyuznaya Str., Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation.
 

Received 03.12.2025. Revised 25.01.2026. Accepted 28.01.2026.

Abstract. The phenomenon of Islamist extremism threatening post-Soviet Central Asia have shaped Central Asian policies in the sphere of religious relations in 2024–2025. In Central Asia, perception of Islam as an important historical, cultural, and spiritual factor is coupled with the strategies aimed at countering the destabilizing influence of religious extremist ideology, which undermines the secular foundations of local political systems. The experience of the Soviet period and the 1990s demonstrates that radicalization cannot be eradicated only by some administrative prohibitions. Therefore, Central Asian countries require in-depth socioeconomic recovery and modernization of their diverse societies. Developed interstate cooperation directed at reducing in Central Asia the conflict potential of such fragile regions as the Fergana Valley, the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, and others, where historically entrenched differences are tied to interethnic and interreligious contradictions, could play a significant role in threat mitigation. Strengthening international partnerships within the emerging polycentric world, where the agenda is set by large regional states with predominantly Muslim populations, is crucial for achieving internal stability in Central Asian countries. They share many common grounds with Russia, which has a significant Islamic component. Russia’s role in maintaining the security of Central Asia and its neighbors will also tend to increase, given the need to jointly counter Islamist radicalism and develop sustainable resistance to extremist influences that undermine stability. Given their historical and cultural ties to Islam and close contacts with leading global religious institutions and centers, Central Asian countries cannot afford to ignore the processes unfolding in the Islamic world. However, the task of creating a reliable barrier against the threat of Islamist radicalism and terrorism, wherever it originates, must remain a priority for both the Central Asian states and Russia, which remains closely connected to them by civilizational, economic, and political ties.

Keywords: Central Asia, Middle East, Russia, politics, religious radicalism, international terrorism


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For citation:
Malysheva D. Policy of Central Asia Countries in Resisting Religious Radicalism. World Eсonomy and International Relations, 2026, vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 87–98. https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2026-70-4-87-98 EDN: LPSLQY

Contents World Eсonomy and International Relations. 2026, vol. 70, no. 4

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