D3.2 Country Report | July 2021
Author: Teuta Avdimetaj, Kosovar Centre for Security Studies
This report explores the most impactful manifestations of radicalization in Kosovo while identifying specific “hotspot” areas that provide insights into how specific incidents of premeditated extremist violence can indicate general radicalization trends within the country. The selection of these ‘hotspot’ areas is done based on the prevalence of violent extremist incidents, the type of radicalization, and the potential of these zones to speak to larger radicalization trends across the country. As such, the selected ‘hotspot’ areas should not be viewed as compact zones of radicalization since the radical acts of a fringe group of individuals are not endorsed by the broader community. In selecting Prishtina, Mitrovica, and Kacanik as ‘hotspots’ of radicalization, it should be made clear that the intention is not to single out these communities as spaces of impending danger given that overwhelmingly they are considered as safe. Instead, the aim is to take these municipalities as units of analysis for exploring certain elements of radicalization that can be applicable across the country.