Military Review English Edition January-February 2015 | Page 107

RUSSIA AS THREAT

Lastly, a majority Islamic Russia, particularly
one that has inherited a government legacy of animus toward the United States left by Putin or successors, could become fertile recruitment ground
for those appealing for global jihad against the
West. A potential radicalization of some significant
segment of the Muslim population, coupled with
the demographic transformation of the country,
could drastically alter Russian culture, society, and
politics. As Ilan Berman noted, the rise of radical
Islam poses a grave threat to “the very integrity of the
Russian state.”33
In the very near future, the effects of Islamization
could be reflected in the Russian military. Joseph
D’Agostino of the Population Research Institute predicts that Muslims could soon comprise up to half of
the conscripts in the Russian Army. Although Russians
still comprise a clear majority of the population, and
military service is compulsory, only about 10 percent
of young Russian men actually serve due to college
deferments, bribes to evade the draft, and the like.
As D’Agostino points out, given the notoriously brutal
nature of the Russian Army, avoiding military service is
understandable. He \