Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of theories explaining the causes and course of radicalization processes reflected in academic publications, primarily in English-language sources, in the period from the 1960s to the 2020s, as well as their relationship with practical counter-radicalization policies. The relevance of this issue is connected with the continuing threats of Islamic and other trends of radicalization, including in Central Asia, and the activation of terrorist groups. The authors provide a classification of existing theoretical approaches, highlighting the theory of the deep roots of terrorism as a forerunner of modern interpretations of radicalization, simplified theories of radicalization (ideology as the only cause, unidirectionality of the process, clear stages and indicators describing them) and more complex theories of radicalization (diversity of causes and radicalization trajectories, non-obvious connection between ideology and violence, the role of group dynamics and structural characteristics of society). The article focuses on the central contradiction between theory and practice in this area. On the one hand, theoretical developments are tending towards an increasingly multidimensional coverage of radicalization processes, the rejection of simplistic approaches, and the construction of complex models. On the other hand, practice requires simple and understandable algorithms, clear and unambiguous cause-and-effect relationships that can be reflected in indicators and specific measures. According to the authors, this contradiction leads to the fact that simplistic schemes to explain radicalization, which have been repeatedly refuted in academic discussions, are still popular in practical politics. And this reduces the effectiveness of measures to combat this phenomenon. The crisis state of radicalization theories and practices is exacerbated by the problems associated with the difficulty of access to complete and reliable information about what is happening in the radical environment and the high ideologization of these issues. All this leads to the fact that the task of effectively countering radicalization is still far from being solved.

Keywords: radicalization, terrorism, Islamic radicalism, radicalization trajectory, antiterrorist policy, ideology