IS Khorasan Province - Ideology, Networks, and Global Security Dynamics

Presentation by Dr. Hannes Meissner on Central Asia at the Austrian Defense Academy.

At the Austrian Defence Academy, international experts gathered to discuss “IS Khorasan Province – Ideology, Networks, and Global Security Dynamics.” The conference, organized by Walter Posch and Hessam Habibi Doroh, addressed a highly topical and pressing security issue.

While many contributions focused on developments in Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, the presentation by Dr. Hannes Meissner centered on Central Asia. Titled “Central Asia in the Transnational Networks of ISKP: Responses, Counter-Extremism and Challenges,” it examined the region’s role in ISKP’s transnational structures as well as state and societal responses to extremist threats.

Even though the corporate focus was not at the center of this conference, the topic is also highly relevant for companies, as large companies need to screen job applicants and employees for religious radicalization tendencies. This is necessary due to a new strategy by IS Khorasan. It aims to identify, radicalize, and mobilize young adults in the West who are socially isolated and dissatisfied and spend a lot of time on social media, playing computer games, and surfing the internet. The difficulty with screening individuals lies in the fact that those at risk have often been completely inconspicuous up to now. Follow the link to the presentation.