The Ukrainian war must not divert attention from Islamic terrorism

With international attention entirely focused on the Ukrainian conflict, there is a real risk that Islamic radicalism will exploit this situation to regain ground, both from the point of view of terrorism and from that of the occupation of territories devoid of international protection. This fear is confirmed by the statements of the new spokesman for the Islamic State, who did not miss the opportunity to urge supporters of Islamic extremism to exploit the situation that sees the confrontation of states usually deployed, even if from different positions, against terrorists and the Islamic radicals. The danger is the concentration of resources and attention on the Ukrainian conflict, which could allow greater freedom of action, both in Europe and in Russia. At this time, despite the threats aimed more at the western part of the European continent, the nation that appears most vulnerable is Russia, because it is directly involved in the conflict and with troops, often used against Islamic terrorists, engaged in the Donbass areas. ; however, the current situation could lead to singular and temporary alliances capable of fighting against common enemies. The unscrupulousness of some of the actors involved could study unconventional and violent retaliation against Western countries, guilty of supporting the Ukrainian resistance in various ways. Dangerous precedents could be created, especially if one side is forced to suffer increasingly heavy sanctions and to prolong a war that it believed would end quickly. From the point of view of Europe, but also of the United States, it appears essential to monitor one’s own territories, but this is not enough since it is necessary to prevent a new advance of the Islamic State on territories that have characteristics capable of favoring this scenario. If in Asian countries the threat has been limited, but the phenomenon must not be underestimated, the situation in the sub-Saharan areas of the African continent appears more worrying, where Islamic radicalism manages to impose itself by filling gaps, than the financial shortage of the states. national does not allow to fill. Now the concentration and financial effort to supply Ukraine with the necessary weapons, coupled with the ongoing diplomatic effort to stem the conflict, can divert the already scarce resources to preserve the central African strip from terrorism. It is also necessary to remember the situation of countries such as Afghanistan, where the American abandonment has created favorable conditions for the settlement of terrorist bases or the attitude of formally allied countries in the fight against terrorism, where the ambiguous attitude of governments continues to allow dangerous contiguity with Islamic radicalism. More sheltered from this possible resurgence of terrorism, also by virtue of its political system, China appears on its territory, but which cannot fail to be involved in a state of apprehension in the many countries of sub-Saharan Africa, which have been the subject of substantial funding. . One of the most concrete dangers, in a phase of economic regression and scarcity of resources, exchanges blocked by sanctions, is a further contraction in growth, precisely caused by actions against African extraction and production centers; the increase in food crises and famines caused by the interruption of the exposure of Ukrainian wheat and Russian fertilizers may also contribute to this. The possibilities of action of Islamic terrorism therefore have a variety of tools, which go far beyond traditional practices, based almost exclusively on the use of violence: to attract an ever-growing audience of followers, thanks to the ever-increasing state of poverty. of a substantial part of the African population; for this reason it is important not to abandon African countries and to maintain military garrisons capable of supporting national armies for the protection of local communities. We must not lower the control and the contrast on the economies that favor terrorism, such as the trafficking of human beings and the trade in drugs and arms. If support for Ukraine is fundamental for the survival of Western democracies, no less important is the continuous fight against Islamic terrorism, which, albeit with different methods, has always the objective of countering the very fear of maintaining democracy, in particular. this is certainly no different from what the head of the Kremlin is aiming for.