Tbilisi The Roots of Violent Extremism and Radicalization In Azerbaijan and Georgia GEORGIAN CENTER FOR SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT October 2018 n gaining independence in 1991/1992, Azerbaijan has faced several main chal­lenges that are still haunting the young republic. Even after almost 30 years of exis­tence, Azerbaijan is still struggling with some significant problems. It is worth men ­tioning, that in many cases the perceptions of major threats and challenges may differ between the establishment and the people. The Caucasus Barometer survey from 2008 to 2013 identified several critical issues the county is facing. According to the study, for a significant majority of Azerbaijanis, the Karabakh conflict or un ­resolved territorial conflicts represent the biggest challenge. n Georgia has a traumatic memory of conflicts based on its political background. The first decade of Georgian independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union might be evaluated as a period of eruption of“romantic and messianic nationalism.” Political points of view that were different from the ideas of the ruling elite were not tolerated and often met with radical resistance. This reality became the determinant for the most dramatic parts of Georgian history, namely the civil war in the early 90s. n main objectives of the research are to study and analyze the main push and pull factors of involvement of the citizens of the mentioned countries in activities of vari­ous extremist organizations, study the strategic documents which lay a foundation to the countries’ counter violent extremism programs, and examine the counter-ext­remism activities of the governments of Azerbaijan and Georgia.