Balkan Fighters in the Syrian War
Balkan Fighters in the Syrian War

Author: Tanja Dramac Jiries

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-09-15

Total Pages: 107

ISBN-13: 1000436497

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This book analyses the process of the recruitment of foreign fighters from the Western Balkans, specifically Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, to Syria and Iraq from 2012 to 2015. Utilizing in-depth, semi-structured interviews with foreign fighters and their families, as well as a number of relevant stakeholders it answers the question of what were the processes and circumstances leading up to the departure of foreign fighters from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo and what informed their agency? The author draws on the theories of social movement approaches, more specifically, contentious politics literature and utilizes the specific concepts of triggering mechanisms, which refer to the enabling circumstances that make the radicalization and departure possible, and pleasure in agency, to elaborate on individual motivation. The book also shows how a wider state- fragility within the context of the post-Yugoslav wars and the transitional period that never ended, aided radicalization and how an incomplete process of post-war transition can fuel the process of political and religious radicalization creating a wider enabling web for recruitment. It will be of interest to students and scholars of Southeast European politics and foreign policy, post-war democratic transition, security policy and radicalization more broadly.

Balkan Fighters in the Syrian War
Balkan Fighters in the Syrian War

Author: Tanja Dramac Jiries

Publisher: Southeast European Studies

Published: 2023-05-31

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780367633813

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This book analyses the process of the recruitment of foreign fighters from the Western Balkans, specifically Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, to Syria and Iraq from 2012 to 2015. Utilizing in-depth, semi-structured interviews with foreign fighters and their families, as well as a number of relevant stakeholders it answers the question of what were the processes and circumstances leading up to the departure of foreign fighters from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo and what informed their agency? The author draws on the theories of social movement approaches, more specifically, contentious politics literature and utilizes the specific concepts of triggering mechanisms, which refer to the enabling circumstances that make the radicalization and departure possible, and pleasure in agency, to elaborate on individual motivation. The book also shows how a wider state- fragility within the context of the post-Yugoslav wars and the transitional period that never ended, aided radicalization and how an incomplete process of post-war transition can fuel the process of political and religious radicalization creating a wider enabling web for recruitment. It will be of interest to students and scholars of Southeast European politics and foreign policy, post-war democratic transition, security policy and radicalization more broadly.

Not Only Syria? The Phenomenon of Foreign Fighters in a Comparative Perspective
Not Only Syria? The Phenomenon of Foreign Fighters in a Comparative Perspective

Author: K. Rekawek

Publisher: IOS Press

Published: 2017-05-30

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 1614997578

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The term ‘foreign fighters’ describes nationals of one state who – for whatever variety of reasons and motives – travel abroad to take part in a conflict in another state without the promise of financial reward. The majority of attention has so far been focused on the nationals of Western European states who have gone to fight for the so-called Islamic State in Syria. There exist, however, other examples of contemporary European foreign fighters whose travails, motivations and returns have been largely unnoticed and underappreciated. This books attempts to balance this state of affairs by bringing to the fore some lesser known cases of non-terrorist but foreign fighters related to the conflict in Ukraine, and situating them against the backdrop of the larger mobilization for the war in Syria. This book presents edited versions of the 12 papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) ‘Not Only Syria? Foreign Fighters: A Threat to NATO Allies and Their Neighbours’. The workshop was held in Chisinau, Moldova, in May 2016, and brought together researchers and experts in the field to discuss the differences, similarities and parallels between different groups of foreign fighters engaged in the conflicts in Syria and the Ukraine. The papers include contributions from the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Poland among others, and examine cases of foreign fighters from these and other countries. The book will provide an interesting context to researchers who have, up to now, looked only at a single set of such fighters, and will lead to tangible recommendations on how to develop policies to address the threat posed by returnees from any conflict.

Foreign Fighters and Radical Influencers
Foreign Fighters and Radical Influencers

Author: Asya Metodieva

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-12-30

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13: 1000823253

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This book looks at Salafi influencers and foreign fighters in the Balkans to examine how the origins and dynamics of radical milieus are related to the legacy of the Bosnian War and the Kosovo War. The work seeks to understand if and in what ways these wars influenced the consolidation of radical milieus and whether they impacted the recruitment of foreign fighters. In doing so, the book traces the path of more than 400 individuals that either traveled to Syria or were involved in recruitment locally. Employing a qualitative methodological approach, the book argues that radical influencers are likely to be more evident in postwar societies due to state and societal fragility, which create more power for social actors and constrain efforts to counter extremism. Through the activism of social actors emerging from wars, preceding conflicts resonate through society across different locations and particular postwar radical milieus do not need to be only in the place where war atrocities happened. Thus, radical milieus can spread to various locations including countries hosting postwar diaspora communities. This book will be of much interest to students of radicalisation, terrorism and political violence, Balkan politics, Middle Eastern politics, and IR in general.

The Balkan Route
The Balkan Route

Author: Robert Rydzewski

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-11-17

Total Pages: 167

ISBN-13: 1000962040

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This book is an ethnography of the people migrating through the Balkan route and the reaction of the local communities who witnessed their struggle to reach the European Union. Based on extensive fieldwork conducted in North Macedonia and Serbia, it pays special attention to the "refugee crisis", that gave birth to a new border regime based on a permanent suspension of laws, normalisation of violence, and the entrapment of migrants stranded in a liminal space at the gates to the EU, neither able to go further nor back. The book will appeal to an international audience of academics of migration studies, social and political science, and the wider public interested in migration and social and political changes in Southeast Europe.

Peace and Security in the Western Balkans
Peace and Security in the Western Balkans

Author: Nemanja Džuverović

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-08-16

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 1000628728

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This book outlines the main security threats, actors, and processes in the Western Balkans following the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Exploring the state of peace and security in the region it asks if a stable peace is achievable. The comparative framework explores state perspectives – from Serbia, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Kosovo – alongside military, political-societal, economic, and environmental security concerns. The interplay of international actors is also considered. Academics, scholars, and practitioners who deal with Balkan issues, either as a focus or comparatively, and have interests in security and peace studies will find the volume invaluable along with students of political science, security studies, peace studies, area studies (Eastern European studies and/or Southeast European studies), and international studies in general.

Gender Mainstreaming in Counter-terrorism Efforts in the Western Balkans
Gender Mainstreaming in Counter-terrorism Efforts in the Western Balkans

Author: M. Hadji-Janev

Publisher: IOS Press

Published: 2021-11-25

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1643682334

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Amplified by a volatile security environment, technology and globalization, terrorism and violent extremism have become a genuine threat on a global level, and the ability of terrorist groups to capitalize on local issues such as poverty and inequality have helped to fuel the process of radicalization and recruitment. The region of the Western Balkans is not immune to these trends, and the gender component has been recognized as an important aspect in efforts to counter and prevent such practices. This book presents edited contributions delivered at the NATO Advanced Training Course (ATC) “Gender Mainstreaming in Counter-terrorism Efforts in Western Balkans” held from 16 to 21 May 2021. The event was designed to explore gender perspectives in counter-terrorism efforts in the Western Balkans and in the wider security-sector, and to analyze drivers to radicalization through the lens of gender. This ATC brought together more than 50 military and civilian participants from 7 countries in the Western Balkans and south-eastern Europe and 35 expert lecturers. Topics include the legal and political framework of gender mainstreaming; the role of technology; the drivers, motivations and roles of women in radicalization and extremist groups; counter-terrorism and gender; gender-sensitive approaches to counter terrorism; gendered perspectives from the frontline; the prospects for women’s leadership roles in community-based approaches; and challenges to the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in the Western Balkans. Highlighting critical components and providing a unique insight which contributes to the academic debate on gender mainstreaming in P/CVE and CT efforts, the book will be of interest to all those involved in countering the spread of terrorism worldwide.

Balkan Think Tanks Convention
Balkan Think Tanks Convention

Author: SETA Ankara

Publisher: SETA

Published: 2015-11-28

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13:

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On 10-12 June 2015, a convention of Balkan think tanks was organized by the SETA Foundation, with financial support of the Turkish Prime Ministry Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). During the event, researchers from Balkan think tanks discussed various political issues faced by the region and Turkey. This report summarizes the remarks made during the workshop sessions.

The Media as a Tool of International Intervention
The Media as a Tool of International Intervention

Author: Nidžara Ahmetašević

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-09-12

Total Pages: 131

ISBN-13: 100092825X

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This book explores the role of external powers and international organisations in media assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through analysis of key documents, media reports and interviews with key participants it examines the main actors, their roles and the way in which they influenced the media and society. Bosnia and Herzegovina remains one of the biggest experiments in international intervention in modern history. Media assistance, as well as international intervention, was an enormous project which involved many donors and recipient organisations, and large amounts of money, but it is just one of many countries where democratisation and state-building took place with little to no input from the local community. Since the mid-1980s, media assistance has been an integral part of international intervention used as a tool of democratisation in post-conflict countries and societies. The process is often led and created outside these countries and implemented by various international organisations, led by technocrats and dictated by the will of donors. The author uses the case study of Bosnia and Herzegovina to assess this in a broader context. This volume will be of interest to scholars and students of Southeast Europe, international organisations, peace-building, and rebuilding society in post-war countries, as well as journalists and policy-makers.