Foreign Fighters: An Overview of Responses in Eleven Countries

Author(s): Lorenzo Vidino, Livio Pigoni, Aglaya Snetkov
Journal Title: CSS Study
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich
Publication Year: 2014

Over the past months the ever-growing number of foreign fighters participating in the Syrian civil war has not only attracted a big media interest but it has also become a large concern for policy makers worldwide. The presence of foreign fighters in Syria is considered particularly troublesome given the possibility that some of those who come back from the conflict might engage in acts of politically motivated violence in their countries of origin or in third countries. This study provides an overview of responses to the foreign fighter phenomenon in eleven selected countries and it assesses strategies and legal mechanisms available for policymakers to address the potential threat posed by Syria returnees.

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