Social turmoil in Rio de Janeiro
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INEQUALITY AS A CATALYST FOR YOUTH RADICALIZATION
Europe – be it right-wing groups staging demonstrations and xenophobic attacks on refugee centers or extremism from the other side of the political spectrum. Regardless of where these events took place, they were all characterized by severe outbursts of violence and unrest. At the same time, terrorism has been continuously on the rise, with jihadist organizations such as the Islamic State being particularly adept at gaining new followers.
What is it that these radical phenomena have in common? While terrorist organizations are becoming increasingly popular among youth from all over the world, a significant amount of people participating in violent demonstrations are persons younger than 30. Today’s generation of youth is the largest the world has ever known, and about 600 million of these young men and women live in fragile states, including conflict zones, without access to quality education, dignified employment or civic engagement. Under these circumstances the radicalization of youth is becoming a rising threat to social stability around the world.
But what drives youth to resort to radical ideologies and extremist actions? It is the various facets of inequality that prove most decisive when it comes to independent violent deeds or the recruitment of individuals by terrorist organizations. When it is perpetual marginalization, discrimination, poverty and limited access to education that define an individual’s living conditions, the likelihood of them becoming susceptible to radical ideas is significantly higher than in societies that offer young people opportunities to participate in cultural, economic and political life. The forms of youth extremism are many and its origins ubiquitous: from adolescents’ unpromising perspectives on the labor market driving them to channel their frustrations through attacking minorities, unsuccessful integration alienating immigrants from society, or inhabitants of destabilized regions confronted with danger due to their leaders’ failed attempts at preventing crises and facing the choice of joining “successful” hardliners.
In December 2015, the United Nations Security Council for the first time recognized the threat to stability and development posed by the rise of radicalization among young people and urged all UN member states to implement more inclusive policies to tackle this problem. In order to facilitate this process and pave the way for a comprehensive strategy to combat youth radicalization, the delegates at MUNSC Salient 2016 will focus on better understanding the underlying causes and complex processes that make young people resort to radical actions.
What is it that these radical phenomena have in common? While terrorist organizations are becoming increasingly popular among youth from all over the world, a significant amount of people participating in violent demonstrations are persons younger than 30. Today’s generation of youth is the largest the world has ever known, and about 600 million of these young men and women live in fragile states, including conflict zones, without access to quality education, dignified employment or civic engagement. Under these circumstances the radicalization of youth is becoming a rising threat to social stability around the world.
But what drives youth to resort to radical ideologies and extremist actions? It is the various facets of inequality that prove most decisive when it comes to independent violent deeds or the recruitment of individuals by terrorist organizations. When it is perpetual marginalization, discrimination, poverty and limited access to education that define an individual’s living conditions, the likelihood of them becoming susceptible to radical ideas is significantly higher than in societies that offer young people opportunities to participate in cultural, economic and political life. The forms of youth extremism are many and its origins ubiquitous: from adolescents’ unpromising perspectives on the labor market driving them to channel their frustrations through attacking minorities, unsuccessful integration alienating immigrants from society, or inhabitants of destabilized regions confronted with danger due to their leaders’ failed attempts at preventing crises and facing the choice of joining “successful” hardliners.
In December 2015, the United Nations Security Council for the first time recognized the threat to stability and development posed by the rise of radicalization among young people and urged all UN member states to implement more inclusive policies to tackle this problem. In order to facilitate this process and pave the way for a comprehensive strategy to combat youth radicalization, the delegates at MUNSC Salient 2016 will focus on better understanding the underlying causes and complex processes that make young people resort to radical actions.