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Palgrave Macmillan

Returning Islamist Foreign Fighters

Threats and Challenges to the West

  • Book
  • © 2020

Overview

Authors:
  1. Elena Pokalova

    1. College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University, Washington, USA

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  • Provides the first in-depth examination of foreign fighter returnees and the challenges they pose for their home countries

  • Offers a unique review of the multiple waves of Islamist foreign fighters, not just one particular conflict

  • Examines novel issues that are developing with Islamist terrorist groups, including the role of women and children

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
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  2. The Returnee Challenge

    • Elena Pokalova
    Pages 1-9

  3. Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq: Aberration from History or History Repeated?

    • Elena Pokalova
    Pages 11-58

  4. Foreign Fighters After the Conflict Ends

    • Elena Pokalova
    Pages 59-77

  5. Foreign Fighter Returnees from Syria and Iraq

    • Elena Pokalova
    Pages 79-104

  6. Dealing with the Challenge: Responses to Foreign Fighters and Foreign Fighter Returnees

    • Elena Pokalova
    Pages 105-135

  7. Prosecution of Foreign Fighter Returnees

    • Elena Pokalova
    Pages 137-164

  8. Women, Jihad, and Female Returnees

    • Elena Pokalova
    Pages 165-194

  9. Child Returnees

    • Elena Pokalova
    Pages 195-216

  10. Moving Forward

    • Elena Pokalova
    Pages 217-222

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 223-242
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Keywords

About this book

This book examines the challenges foreign fighter returnees from Syria and Iraq pose to Western countries. A number of returnees have demonstrated that they are willing to use violence against their home countries, and some have already staged terrorist attacks on Western soil on apparent orders from ISIS. Through the historical context of previous waves of mobilizations of Islamist foreign fighters, the author tracks the experiences of returnees from previous conflicts and discusses the major security challenges associated with them. The book analyzes the major approaches implemented by Western countries in response to foreign fighter returnees, discusses the prosecution of returnees, and evaluates the corresponding challenges of prison radicalization.

Reviews

“Pokalova’s book is an important quest to understand a form of terrorism that still poses perils to the West and should not be taken lightly.” (C. C. Lovett, Choice, Vol. 58 (1), September, 2020)

Authors and Affiliations

  • College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University, Washington, USA

    Elena Pokalova

About the author

Elena Pokalova is Associate Professor of Security Studies at the College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University, USA. Her research areas include terrorism, radicalization, countering violent extremism, ethnic conflict, and the Caucasus. 

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