Foundations of the Foreign Fighter Problem: Investigating Blindspots Relating to Gender, Minors, and Families

Summary

On February 2, 2022, the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University and the National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE) held a virtual event focused on discussing the scope of the "foreign fighter problem" and provided insights into some of the major existing knowledge gaps relating to gender, minors, and families.  Almost three years after the Islamic State's territorial collapse in Syria and Iraq, questions remain regarding the men, women, and children from around the world who traveled to join the conflict. Devorah Margolin, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Senior Research Fellow for the Program moderated the discussion, which featured:

• Mary Beth Altier, Associate Professor at New York University's Center for Global Affairs
  • Author of: Lessons for Reintegrating Islamic State Detainees, Violent Extremist Disengagement and Reintegration: Lessons from Over 30 Years of DDR, and Criminal or Terrorist? Fear, Bias, and Public Support for Prisoner Re-entry Programs
• Moustafa Ayad, Executive Director for Africa, the Middle East and Asia at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD)
• Joana Cook, Assistant Professor of Terrorism and Political Violence in the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University, Senior Project Manager at ICCT, and Editor-in-Chief of the ICCT journal
  • Author of: From Daesh To Diaspora: Tracing the women and minors of Islamic State and From Daesh to ‘Diaspora’ II: The Challenges Posed by Women and Minors After the Fall of the Caliphate
• Austin Doctor, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, a member of the executive committee for the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE), and a nonresident fellow with the Modern War Institute at West Point