研究称白人至上主义者引领新一轮外国金融浪潮

Study: White Supremacists Lead New Wave of Foreign Fighters

A new kind of foreign fighter is on the move.

These individuals are arriving by the thousands in areas where conflicts are taking place. They are either looking for new experiences or hope to fight for their cause. And they are getting the attention of intelligence officials in the United States and other countries.

These foreign fighters are not jihadists hoping to join the self-declared Islamic State group or al-Qaida.

They are political extremists and white supremacists. They are traveling to Ukraine in large numbers. In fact, the numbers are similar to those of the movement of fighters to Syria early in that conflict.

A new report says that more than 17,000 people from 50 countries -- including the United States -- have traveled to Ukraine in recent years. It said they have gone there to join both the forces loyal to Ukraine’s central government and pro-Russian forces.

The report comes from The Soufan Center, a U.S.-based nonprofit research group.

Of the 15,000 fighters who came from Russia, most have returned home, the group says. But the 2,200 who stayed, it warned, should be watched.

Jason Blazakis works as a researcher at The Soufan Center and is a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Blazakis said most “of those foreign fighters are coming from the near region" He noted¹ there are 800 fighters from Belarus and hundreds more coming from Germany, Georgia, Serbia and other European countries.

“That is in some ways, not too different than what you saw with ISIS,” Blazakis said.

In early 2015, the London-based International Center for the Study of Radicalisation reported that almost 21,000 people from 50 countries had gone to fight in the Syrian civil war. More than half of those individuals were from the Middle East and North Africa.

White supremacists - a “transnational challenge”

“White supremacy² extremism is a transnational challenge,” the Soufan Center warned. The study found white supremacy attracts from Australia to Ukraine, and Norway to New Zealand.

“White supremacists are forming global networks, much as jihadis did” before the 2001 attacks against the United States, the report said.

Many of these fighters want to join the Azov Battalion³, a pro-Ukrainian force that experts claim supports the teachings of Germany’s former Nazi⁴ party. They say the force targets white supremacist groups around the world for new members.

The Soufan Center also says pro-Russian forces have also found they can find new members from among white supremacist groups or extreme nationalist groups.

“Serbs from Serbia and Bosnia's Republika Srpska have mainly joined pro-Russian separatist militias⁵ fighting in Eastern Ukraine,” said Adrian Shtuni, a foreign policy expert.

Russia and rise of far-right

“The rise of white supremacy in Western society and far right groups in Europe has been part of a disinformation campaign by the Russian government to contribute directly to that rise,” said Ali Soufan. He is the founder⁶ of The Soufan Center and once worked for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation⁷.

The Russians want “to create divisiveness in Western societies,” he said. “And they don't care if it's white supremacist, if it's other groups. They do whatever and they see what works.”

Western officials worry it has been working well enough.

In Europe, intelligence officials see Russia building on relationships it has developed with far-right or nationalist parties. Some of these parties have moved from being small groups to major political players.

This past July, officials in Italy seized guns, bullets and air-to-air missiles, as well as Nazi materials, during an investigation into Italians who had fought in Ukraine.

Other European countries are also worried.

Kacper Rekawek is head of the national security program at GLOBSEC, a Slovakian-based research center. He believes that the flow of white supremacist foreign fighters to Ukraine is just the beginning.

“There is a network,” he said in a video.

Just like the organizations that sent jihadists to Syria and Iraq, it is giving those who travel common cause.

Rekawek worries the violence may be able to spread more quickly.

"Now the question is whether they take the fight from Ukraine to Europe."

Words in This Story

jihadist – n. an Islamic militant⁸ or extremist

white supremacist – n. a person who believes that the white race is better than other races

region – n. a part of an area, state or country that is different or separate from other parts in some way

challenge – n. a difficult job or problem

global – n. involving the entire world

network – n. a group of people or organizations that are closely connected and that work with each other

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

3 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

4 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

5 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

6 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。