Through an analysis of fieldwork interviews and both primary and secondary source evaluation, this report presents a baseline overview of the extremist threatscape as it pertains to the Republic of Macedonia. The researchers analyse both focus groups and individual interviews with critical stakeholders in civil society, members of the security establishment, and individuals who had been touched by the phenomenon of extremism. The limitation of this report is rooted in access – due to the oft-difficult research landscape presented in the Macedonia context, the researchers were unable to engage directly with violent extremisms. As such, secondary source materials are used to support, give context, enrich and, where necessary, triangulate the findings of the conducted field research. The report thematically presents the levels, forms, and threats of extremism in Macedonia by outlining the definitional variances between violent and non-violent extremism, the waves of Islamist extremism, the phenomenon of foreign fighters, and burgeoning nationalist extremism and its political undertones. While Islamist extremism currently presents the greatest threat to the Republic, findings on disparate forms of extremism are included. The report also outlines religious, societal, socioeconomic, and online drivers and factors contributing to extremism.

Overall, however, the report’s findings indicate that ethnic Albanians were most at-risk perpetrating acts of violent extremism. Moreover, research indicates that – compared to other Muslim minority countries in the Western Balkans – Macedonian Muslims have a higher-than-average propensity to become violently radicalised. The report also finds that foreign fighter flows out of Macedonia are at a near-cessation, which will pose difficult policy questions – e.g. how to first rehabilitate and then reintegrate returnees – in light of returnees coming back to Macedonia.

The report concludes with three recommendations: 1) develop pointed and concerted research which seeks to understand the role that ethnicity  plays in fostering a vulnerability toward extremism; 2) focus on and access to quality education needs to be prioritised, and; 3) a comprehensive reintegration and rehabilitation strategy must be developed as part of any CVE effort. Overall, a “whole-of-society” rather than “whole-of-government” effort must be espoused which would see CVE efforts being holistically integrated into areas such as education, social welfare, employment, and healthcare.