The interplay between Islamist extremists and the violent right wing has raised fears among policy makers and practitioners about a vicious cycle of escalating tensions between extremist movements. These dynamics do not merely present a security threat, but also risks polarising societies. But this cumulative dynamic is just one piece of the pie: increasingly, reciprocal radicalisation coexists with a trend of digital violent right wing and Islamist extremist communities not just feeding off and inspiring each other, but converging into ideologically elastic online subcultures.

This article looks at four distinct, if at times interrelated, ways in which the violent right wing and Islamist extremist movements interact with and influence each other: 1) Reciprocal Radicalisation 2) Inspiration 3) Convergence 4) Conversion.