Miroslav Mareš

Right-Wing Extremist Violence in the Russian Federation

Abstract This article analyses contemporary forms of extreme-right violence in Russia. The authors deal with the traditions and ideological background of the militant right-wing extremist scene as well as with its contemporary social and political background. The most important forms of right-wing extremist violence are identified as ad hoc hate crimes, local ethnically motivated conflicts, activities of organised gangs, the existence of paramilitary units and terrorist tendencies. Political reactions to this violence in Russia are described. The authors come to the conclusion that the threat of extreme-right violence will remain an important element of Russias future security development.

Czech Militant Democracy in Action Dissolution of the Workers’ Party and the Wider Context of This Act

This article analyses the dissolution of the extreme right Workers’ Party by the Czech courts in 2010. It situates the case in the historical development of party closures by militant democracy on Czech territory and explains why the Workers’ Party was the first party to be dissolved in the Czech Republic after the fall of the Communist regime. It also describes the legislative framework in contemporary Czech law for the dissolution of political parties. It details the political and legal repercussions of the ruling and the wider discussions it provoked, not only in political and expert circles but also among the general public. Given the fact that the case was taken to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the European dimension of the dissolution of the Workers’ Party is also analysed.

‘Kadyrovtsy’: Russia’s Counterinsurgency Strategy and the Wars of Paramilitary Clans

Abstract This article analyses the steps taken by the Russian government, with the aid of a powerful local clan, the so-called Kadyrovtsy, to subdue the Chechen insurgency. It highlights the strategy used by Russia, under whose patronage former anti-Russian guerrilla fighters were transformed into paramilitary allies of the Russian government; later these former insurgents were incorporated into the regular Russian army and other state security forces. The article also identifies problems that are connected with the activities of the Kadyrovtsy in Chechnya and Russia, and the spillover into the diaspora; it also contextualises the issues faced by the contemporary Chechen ruling clan and the geopolitics of the Caucasus within the research framework of paramilitarism and counterinsurgency.

Extremismus. Theorien-Konzepte-Formen

Diese Einfuhrung in den politischen Extremismus bietet einen systematischen Zugang zur Thematik (Darstellung der Forschungslanschaft, Theorien und Methoden, Typologie des Extremismus usw.).

The Extreme Right’s Relationship with Islam and Islamism in East-Central Europe: From Allies to Enemies

This article analyses the attitudes of extreme right actors from countries of East-Central Europe towards Islam and Islamism. First the broad spectrum of these attitudes is described, using the historical legacy and an analysis of situation in Western countries as the points of departure. This is followed by a description and analysis of extreme right entities and currents in East-Central Europe which cooperate with Islamists or view Islam in a favourable light. The next section examines the attitude of the extreme right towards Baathism and Arab nationalism. The penultimate section describes actors who established their profile on anti-Islamist issues, and the conclusion provides an overall summary of the present situation as well as estimated perspectives of future development.

Terrorism-Free Zone in East Central Europe? Strategic Environment, Risk Tendencies, and Causes of Limited Terrorist Activities in the Visegrad Group Countries

The aim of this article is to analyse terrorism and the phenomena linked to it in East Central Europe. In comparison with a number of other regions of todays world, this area can currently seem to be a relatively “terrorism-free zone.” Although the number of terrorist attacks committed in this territory is insignificant, this does not mean that the risk of terrorism is entirely negligible in the region. This text explains some historical determinants of the current situation and describes the consequences both of regime change in the countries in question and of their foreign policy decisions after 1989. I also analyse the importance of East Central Europe as a logistical space for international terrorism (weapons procurement, stays of terrorists, etc.). I characterise the threats of Islamic and Middle Eastern terrorism in connection with the pro-American and pro-Israeli policies of East Central European countries, especially after 9/11, assess the risks posed by the domestic extremist scenes in those countries that have a relationship with terrorism, and take notice of the accusations of terrorism that have been voiced in international politics. On the basis of this data, I then provide an overview of the importance of East Central Europe for the contemporary study of terrorism.

Environmental Radicalism and Extremism in Postcommunist Europe

This paper analyses the development and structure of environmental radicalism and extremism in the postcommunist Europe.

The Transnational Relations of the Contemporary Russian Extreme Right

This article describes and analyses the transnational relations of Russian extreme right entities. It classifies the Russian extreme right into categories according to their ideological orientation (ethnonationalism and civilisational nationalism) and forms of activity (political parties and interest groups, intellectuals, the autonomous neo-Nazi scene, and paramilitary formations). For each category important contacts are described in terms of the travels abroad of Russian extreme right activists, visits by foreign extremists to Russia, and the establishment of transnational organisation branches in Russia. The article concludes that although so far the Russian extreme right has mostly had ad hoc contacts abroad, it has been involved in the gradual building of stable networks.

Czech Republic: Awakening of Politics of Welfare

From 2007, the Czech public considered changes and shifts in the domestic welfare system as the most radical turn since the loss of dynamics of the post-communist developments. Paradoxically, a gradual and generally modest neo-liberal drive did not even significantly reduce the effectiveness of the results of redistributive measures in reducing poverty (arguably the most successful one in this sense in the EU). This modesty in putting forward meritocratic principles executing relatively mild cuts, with most pronounced in health and family policy domains, sharply contrasts with the strength of the protest movement that brought radical as well as traditional leftist groups and parties together with trade unions. Keys used here to understand this paradox, do not consist just of largely exogenous stimulus of the global economic crisis, but mostly in politics of welfare and their historical roots.

Vigilantism during democratic transition

This article deals with vigilantism occurring in regimes undergoing transitions from non-democracy to democracy. It analyses the strategic use of vigilantism, aiming to identify the basic vigilantist strategies. The article identifies five strategies ranging from prevention initiatives organised by citizens to the outsourcing of vigilantism to informal security agencies. The extreme right also employs vigilantism to its own specific ends.