The phenomenon of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq is making headlines. Their involvement in the atrocities committed by terrorist groups such as the so-called “Islamic State” and Jabhat al-Nusra have caused grave concern and public outcry in the foreign fighters’ European countries of origin. While much has been written about these foreign fighters and the possible threat they pose, the impact of this phenomenon on Western European societies has yet to be documented. This Research Paper explores four particular areas where this impact is most visible: a) violent incidents associated with (returned) foreign fighters, b) official and political responses linked to these incidents, c) public opinion, and d) anti-Islam reactions linked to these incidents. The authors conclude that the phenomenon of jihadist foreign fighters in European societies should be primarily regarded as a social and political threat, not a physical one. They consider the phenomenon of European jihadist foreign fighters a “low-probability, high-impact” threat.


    Access

    Download


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Jihadist Foreign Fighter Phenomenon in Western Europe: A Low-Probability, High-Impact Threat


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2015




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    Unknown




    The Four Dimensions of the Foreign Fighter Threat: Making Sense of an Evolving Phenomenon

    Alastair Reed / Johanna Pohl / Marjolein Jegerings | DOAJ | 2017

    Free access


    British fighter units : Western front 1914-16

    Revell, Alex | GWLB - Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek | 1978


    Western European economies aid eastern fighter fleets

    Osborne, Tony | Online Contents | 2013