Foreign Fighters and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin C Doctor
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Stage I ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Organizational Challenges ◽  
Rebel Groups ◽  
Foreign Fighters

Abstract Do foreign fighters increase the prevalence of rebel-inflicted sexual violence? Evidence from recent armed conflicts indicates that this may be the case. However, little is known regarding the generalizability and nature of this relationship. This article argues that foreign fighters present local insurgencies with both strategic benefits—i.e., a reduced dependency on local civilians for material support—and organizational challenges—i.e., threats to intra-group cohesion. In combination, these factors increase local rebel commanders’ willingness to institute policies and oversee practices of sexual violence. I test this theory with a mixed methods research design. In the first stage, I estimate a series of ordinal logistic regression models with a sample of 143 rebel groups active from 1989 to 2011. In the second stage, I investigate further with a case study of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Together, the results demonstrate that when foreign fighters are present in the rank and file, a rebel group is likely to perpetrate more prevalent levels of sexual violence. In addition to explaining group-level differences in rebel-inflicted sexual violence, this study demonstrates how local rebel commanders adjust their internal management strategies to the presence of foreign recruits.

A Motion of No Confidence: Leadership and Rebel Fragmentation

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin C Doctor
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Stage I ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Structure And Agency ◽  
Rebel Groups ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽  
War Experiences

Abstract Why do rebel organizations splinter into competing factions during civil war? To explain this outcome, I leverage variation in rebel leadership. I argue that rebel leaders draw on their pre-war experiences—i.e., their military and political experiences—to manage their organizations during conflict. These experiences bear unique patterns of rebel management and, thus, corresponding risks of fragmentation. Empirical evidence comes from a two-stage research design and original data featuring over 200 rebel leaders from 1989 to 2014. In the first stage, I estimate the probability of group fragmentation with a series of logistic regression models. In the second stage, I use Cox proportional-hazards models to estimate leadership effects on the rate of group fragmentation. Results indicate that variation in rebel leadership corresponds with unique risks of fragmentation. In particular, the results suggest that leaders with real military experience are best equipped to maintain group cohesion. This study offers insight into the processes by which rebel groups splinter into armed factions. In addition, it makes an important contribution to the broader discussion on the roles of structure and agency in shaping the dynamics of civil war.

Motivations for sexual violence in armed conflicts: voices from combatants in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-33
Author(s):  
Ali Bitenga Alexandre ◽  
Kitoka Moke Mutondo ◽  
Juvenal Bazilashe Balegamire ◽  
Amini Emile ◽  
Denis Mukwege
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Republic Of Congo

DERADICALIZATION OF RETURNING FOREIGN FIGHTERS AND HOMEGROWN TERORRISTS

2021 ◽  
pp. 87-100
Author(s):  
DANILO VUJOVIĆ ◽  
NEDELJKO CVETKOVIĆ
Keyword(s):  
Focal Point ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Security Risk ◽  
European Security ◽  
Preventive Work ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Foreign Fighters

In the last couple of years, with the prolification of the Migrant Crisis and the defeat of the Islamic State, the return of the foreign fighters, who went form Europe to the Caliphate and joined the local conflict, as well as the problem of the homegrown terrorism have become the focal point of almost all national security strategies of European countries. The situation that followed drove the authors to set the possible approaches to solving this challenge to European security as a goal for their research. The subject of this article encompasses the process of deradicalization, as the only humane way to deal with the problem at hand, as well as the process of radicalization, as necessary for understanding the formation of the individuals that pose a threat to the security of Europe. The article also tackles the preventive work directed at those social groups that are deemed susceptible to radicalization, as well as the use of individualized and holistic approach to the radicalized individuals. Special consideration is given to the programs of deradicalization as a form of institutionalized way of dealing with this type of a security risk. In the conclusion the authors give their own view of what is the most adeqaute approach when working with radicalized individuals and the role of certain elements of society in it.

The involvement of Western Balkan terrorist-fighters in armed conflicts in Syria and Iraq

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 151-173
Author(s):  
Filip Bryjka
Keyword(s):  
Religious Conflict ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Recruitment Process ◽  
Docu Ments ◽  
War Zone ◽  
Critical Content ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Essential Contribution ◽  
Foreign Fighters

The primary purpose of this article is to explain the meaning and consequences of foreign fighters’ participation from Western Balkan countries (WB6) in armed conflicts in Syria and Iraq. In the first part, the issue of foreign fighters is discussed in historical terms. The author focuses on the examples of the Soviet inva-sion of Afghanistan and the ethno-religious conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the second part of the text, the definition framework of foreign fighters’ concept and its evolution towards foreign terrorist-fighters is dis-cussed. Then, a detailed analysis of the main problem is conducted, and several research questions are an-swered: 1) What is the scale of the phenomenon of Balkan volunteers (e.g., their number, the structure of origin, and others) in comparison to fighters from other regions? 2) What are their motivations and goals, and what are their recruitment process and ways of moving into the war zone? 3) What is the threat posed by returning fight-ers to the security of the Western Balkans, and how do individual states counteract this phenomenon? The au-thor uses mainly the following research methods: critical content analysis (literature, scientific articles, docu-ments, reports, press materials), and historical and comparative analysis. The author’s visits to this country in 2018-2020 constituted an essential contribution to the part concerning the case of Kosovo.

Physician-related predictors of referral for multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management: a population-based study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole D Gehring ◽  
Maryam Kebbe ◽  
Sarah Rathwell ◽  
Arnaldo Perez ◽  
Chenhui Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Family Physicians ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Obesity Management ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Physician Characteristics ◽  
Paediatric Obesity ◽  
Multivariable Regression

Abstract Background It is recommended that primary care-based physicians refer children with overweight and obesity to multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management, which can help to improve weight and health. Objective To determine predictors of referral to multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management. Methods This retrospective, population-level study included physicians who could refer 2–17 years old with a body mass index ≥85th percentile to one of three multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management clinics in Alberta, Canada. Physician demographic and procedural data were obtained from Practitioner Claims and Provider Registry maintained by Alberta Health from January 2014 to December 2017. Physician characteristics were compared based on whether they did or did not refer children for obesity management. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models analysed associations between physician characteristics and referral making. Results Of the 3863 physicians (3468 family physicians, 395 paediatricians; 56% male; 49.3 ± 12.2 years old; 22.3 ± 12.6 years since graduation) practicing during the study period, 1358 (35.2%) referred at least one child for multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management. Multivariable regression revealed that female physicians (versus males) [odds ratio (OR): 1.68, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46–1.93; P < 0.0001], paediatricians (versus family physicians) (OR: 4.89, 95% CI: 3.85–6.21; P < 0.0001) and urban-based physicians (versus non-urban-based physicians) (OR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.79–2.65; P < 0.0001) were more likely to refer children for multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management. Conclusions Approximately one-third of family physicians and paediatricians referred children for multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management. Strategies are needed to improve referral practices for managing paediatric obesity, especially among male physicians, family physicians and non-urban-based physicians as they were less likely to refer children.

Kulturgüterschutz im System der Vereinten Nationen

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Memory ◽  
Cultural Property ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
World Heritage Sites ◽  
Human Rights Protection ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Terrorist Groups ◽  
Core Elements

The images of the destroyed Buddha statues of Bamiyan, of the ancient city of Palmyra lying in ruins, and of destroyed World Heritage sites in Timbuktu have received much attention from the international public. At the same time, these cases also reflect a new dimension in the conduct of armed hostilities today, which is increasingly aimed at destroying cultural identities or heritage. Therefore, in addition to the issue of preserving the world's cultural heritage, especially in the context of human rights protection and international humanitarian law, the protection of cultural property is seen as an increasingly important task for the United Nations and its institutions. Pieces of Art, significant written documents, memorials, and places of worship are deliberately destroyed in conflicts by armed or terrorist groups, such as the so-called Islamic State, as they represent core elements of cultural identity. The increasing number of reports on the loss of priceless cultural assets in Syria, Iraq and Mali exemplify this. Increasingly, violent non-state actors are deliberately using the destruction of cultural property as a means of warfare and even "ethnic cleansing." For the international community, this makes the protection of cultural property in armed conflicts and in the field of restoring statehood at the same time increasingly significant. The preservation of this global human memory is one of the greatest challenges of modern social, political, and legal discourses. Although the use of the destruction of cultural property to divide societies, even to erase a collective memory or destroy social structures, has long been part of warfare, this aspect has been insufficiently considered by the media public and especially in academic discourse. With contributions by Frederik Becker, Dr. Manuel Brunner, Paul Fabel, Dr. Martin Gerner, Dario Haux, Ruth Lechner, Prof. Dr. Antionette Maget Dominicé and Vincent Widdig.

Understanding the Islamic State—A Review Essay

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 127-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Byman
Keyword(s):  
Review Essay ◽  
Military Force ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
The West ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Terrorist Threat ◽  
Security Forces ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Raison D’État ◽  
Foreign Fighters

This article reviews several recent books on the Islamic State in order to understand its goals, motivations, strategy, and vulnerabilities. It argues that the Islamic State's ideology is powerful but also highly instrumental, offering the group legitimacy and recruiting appeal. Raison d'etat often dominates its decisionmaking. The Islamic State's strength is largely a consequence of the policies and weaknesses of its state adversaries. In addition, the group has many weaknesses of its own, notably its brutality, reliance on foreign fighters, and investment in a state as well as its tendency to seek out new enemies. The threat the Islamic State poses is most severe at the local and regional levels. The danger of terrorism to the West is real but mitigated by the Islamic State's continued prioritization of the Muslim world and the heightened focus of Western security forces on the terrorist threat. A high-quality military force could easily defeat Islamic State fighters, but there is no desire to deploy large numbers of Western ground troops, and local forces have repeatedly shown many weaknesses. In the end, containing the Islamic State and making modest rollback efforts may be the best local outcomes.

scholarly journals Jihadist war or a challenge of disintegration?

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 233-250
Author(s):  
Péter Balogh
Keyword(s):  
Developed Countries ◽  
Actual State ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Terrorist Organization ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors ◽  
The Developed Countries ◽  
The One ◽  
Foreign Fighters

In this paper we introduce some relevant research results about the role of social embeddedness and social resources in the sphere of social conflicts and violence. In accordance with the actual state of the investigation process the outcomes presented in this analysis are focusing on the activities of the so called ‘Islamic State’or ISIS – considered to be a rather effective terrorism exporter recently. After briefly outlining the broader – global – context of terrorist organizations, the particular characteristics of the activities of ISIS and some elements of the conceptual frame, the study highlights empirically two potential explaining factors of the success of the terrorist organization. On the one hand the influencing network – primarily linked to the cyber sphere – of the Islamic State is explored, demonstrating a notable focus on the developed countries of Europe. On the other hand the paper summarizes the main conclusions from a case study on the recruitment base of the militants in Brussels of the terrorist organization investigating the relationship between the territorial distribution of the ISIS foreign fighters in city and the extent of segregation of the Islamic population in the different districts, including also certain socio-demographic factors to shed light on the significance of the broader – unfavourable – social context.

scholarly journals FIGHTING FOR ISIS – THE CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Cieslar
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Online Chat ◽  
Religious Motivation ◽  
Recruitment Methods ◽  
The Us ◽  
Common Purpose ◽  
Foreign Fighters ◽  
Short Time

Abstract: The purpose of this research paper is to examine the online recruitment processes and socio-economic factors that allow for the radicalisation of people in Great Britain. The paper will address the following questions: 1) what are ISIS recruitment methods? 2) what makes the recruitment successful? 3) is religious motivation the main factor why people decide to fight for the Islamic State? According to the US National Counterterrorism Centre, in the recent years Islamic State (ISIS) recruited an estimate of 3,400 Westerners ready to fight its cause around the globe. Islamic State has a far more successful rate in luring members from the West than Al-Qaeda. In a relatively short time ISIS went from being an unknown terror cell to threatening worldwide security. Great Britain experienced a number of terrorist attacks in the recent years and the responsibility for them had been claimed by ISIS. However, with the arrival of easy access to the internet the radicalisation of young Britons has been on the rise in the recent years. The studies suggest that there are different motivations for joining Islamic State. Foreign fighters are made to believe that the terrorist group offers values that western democracies seem to lack, namely a common purpose, good morals and sense of belonging. These values are attractive for Muslims and for the new converts alike. Additionally, ISIS recruiters run an online propaganda machine. The process of radicalisation moved from the mosques into more effective online chat-rooms and social media forums.

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