25/04/2026
Publication of the New Volume of MENAVEX
(Vol. II, Issue II – 2026)
There are journals that document reality, and there are those that seek to interpret it as it unfolds—before it settles into the comfort of established knowledge. The Middle East & North Africa Journal on Violence and Extremism (MENAVEX) belongs decisively to the latter. With its Volume II, Issue II (2026), the journal does not merely revisit known patterns of extremism; it ventures into a more demanding intellectual terrain: understanding a world in which fragmentation itself has become the dominant condition.
What makes this issue particularly compelling is not only the diversity of its contributions, but the deeper intuition that binds them together—that extremism today is less an anomaly than a symptom. A symptom of fractured states, disrupted identities, accelerated technologies, and increasingly uncertain futures.
At the heart of this volume lies a quiet yet powerful question: are we still thinking about extremism with tools that belong to a world that no longer exists?
From Organized Violence to Diffuse Extremism
The editorial framing of this issue sets the tone with both clarity and ambition. It invites readers to move beyond familiar categories—terrorist organizations, ideological doctrines, recruitment pipelines—and to confront a more elusive reality: extremism as a diffuse, adaptive, and often invisible process.
The time when violence could be neatly mapped onto territories or hierarchical structures has largely passed. The post-ISIS landscape has not eliminated extremism; it has transformed it. What we now observe is a shift toward:
• fragmented networks,
• hybrid narratives,
• and digital ecosystems in which radicalization unfolds quietly, often below the threshold of detection.
The strength of MENAVEX lies precisely in its refusal to simplify. Rather than offering reassuring conclusions, it compels the reader to dwell within complexity—to accept that the next wave of extremism may bear little resemblance to the last.
The Local as a Lens: When a Village Speaks to the World
One of the most striking qualities of this issue is its ability to move seamlessly between scales. A seemingly localized case—such as crisis communication during a terrorist incident in a Moroccan village—becomes, through rigorous analysis, a lens onto global dynamics.
What emerges is a crucial insight: extremism is always local in its manifestation, yet never purely local in its logic.
The circulation of information, the construction of fear, and the responses of institutions are no longer confined within national boundaries. They are shaped by transnational media flows, digital infrastructures, and shared imaginaries of violence.
In this respect, MENAVEX performs an essential intellectual task: it restores depth to events too often reduced to headlines, reminding us that behind every “incident” lies a complex interplay of narratives, perceptions, and institutional choices.
Beyond Simplistic Causes: The Anatomy of Vulnerability
Another defining thread of this volume is its careful dismantling of reductive explanations. Extremism is not attributed solely to poverty, ideology, or political repression. Instead, it is approached as the outcome of layered and interacting vulnerabilities.
Economic marginalization matters—but only in relation to political exclusion. Identity crises matter—but only when amplified by social dislocation. Governance deficits matter—but only when intertwined with loss of trust and symbolic alienation.
What MENAVEX offers, therefore, is not a theory of causes, but a map of conditions—a framework that helps explain why certain environments become fertile ground for radicalization while others, equally fragile, do not.
Such nuance is particularly valuable in a field often dominated by oversimplification. It invites both policymakers and scholars to rethink intervention strategies, moving from linear responses toward more integrated and context-sensitive approaches.
The Fragility of Exit: Rethinking Disengagement
If entry into extremism is complex, exit is even more fragile. The contributions addressing disengagement and returnees illuminate one of the most sensitive dimensions of contemporary security debates.
Here again, MENAVEX avoids easy answers. It does not present deradicalization as a technical process that can be standardized and replicated. Instead, it reveals its deeply human dimension—marked by hesitation, contradiction, and the constant risk of relapse.
Disengagement, as this issue makes clear, is not merely about abandoning an ideology. It involves:
• rebuilding identity,
• renegotiating belonging,
• and reconstructing meaning beyond the logic of violence.
These insights are crucial at a time when many states struggle to balance security imperatives with rehabilitation efforts. Rather than prescribing models, the journal enriches the debate with depth and realism often absent from policy discourse.
A Journal that Speaks in More Than One Language
One of MENAVEX’s most distinctive features is its multilingual character. The coexistence of Arabic, English, and French contributions is not simply a matter of accessibility; it reflects a deliberate intellectual choice.
Extremism cannot be fully understood from a single linguistic or cultural vantage point. Each language carries its own conceptual tools, analytical traditions, and proximity to lived realities.
The Arabic section, in particular, adds a unique texture to the volume. It engages directly with societal transformations—youth aspirations, digital cultures, economic pressures—offering perspectives that are often underrepresented in global academic debates.
This plurality is not always perfectly harmonized, but it is precisely in this diversity that the journal finds its strength. It mirrors, in its form, the complexity of the phenomenon it seeks to analyze.
Between Fragmentation and Coherence
A subtle paradox runs through this issue. While it explores fragmentation as a defining feature of our time, it simultaneously seeks to create coherence across its contributions.
Does it fully succeed? Not entirely. The connections between articles are sometimes implicit, leaving readers to weave the threads together themselves.
Yet this may not be a limitation so much as a reflection of the subject itself. In a fragmented world, coherence cannot always be imposed—it must be constructed, actively, by the reader.
In this sense, MENAVEX is not merely a journal to be read; it is a journal to be engaged with.
What ultimately distinguishes this volume is its intellectual posture. It does not claim to provide definitive answers. Instead, it opens a space for reflection, questioning, and rethinking.
For researchers, it offers conceptual tools and fresh perspectives.
For practitioners, it provides grounded insights that resonate with real-world challenges.
For a broader audience, it offers something rarer: a way to make sense of a world that often feels increasingly difficult to interpret.
This is why Volume II, Issue II of MENAVEX is not just another academic publication—it is a reference point in the making.
Those interested in the evolving dynamics of violence and extremism—across the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond—will find in this issue a valuable companion. It is worth exploring, debating, and, indeed, keeping within reach as a printed volume.
