Political Radicalism in the Western Balkans: Between Ideology and Forced Action

Arnaudov, Mitko and Gjurovski, Marjan (2026) Political Radicalism in the Western Balkans: Between Ideology and Forced Action. In: De-radicalization, Disengagement, Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series - E: Human and Societal Dynamics, 164 (220). IOS Press / Sage Publishing, Sofia, Bulgaria, pp. 60-69. ISBN 978-1-64368-657-8

Text NHSDP-164-NHSDP260051.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (207kB)

Abstract

Political radicalism is a marginalized phenomenon in the public discourse of the Western Balkans. There is a lack of public, political, and academic discussion about radicalization within the political sphere: whether it exists, and, if so, what its causes and potential consequences are. The authors therefore seek to open an academic debate on this subject by posing the following research question: Is political radicalization in the Western Balkans a consequence of institutional capture, or does its foundation lie in concrete social behaviour? Drawing on empirical examples of the rise of right-wing and left-wing radical and extremist political platforms across the European continent, the authors conduct a comparative analysis focused on the thesis that political radicalization within the Western Balkans represents a consequence of de facto adopted political behaviour that has contributed to institutional capture. The paper makes a twofold contribution: on the research side, it fosters debate on political radicalism and its varieties in terms of causes and consequences; on the practical side, it explains the differences between political radicalism as an ideological concept in Europe and political radicalism as a tool in the political battle of the Western Balkans.

Actions (login required)

View Item