Foreign Fighters: Transnational Identity in Civil Conflicts

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David Malet (Director of Security Policy Studies, Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University)

Foreign Fighters

Transnational Identity in Civil Conflicts

David Malet (Director of Security Policy Studies, Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University)

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English

Oxford University Press Inc
11 May 2017

Revolutions, uprisings, rebellions; Spanish Civil War; International relations; Revolutionary groups & movements; Political economy

In conflict zones around the world, the phenomenon of foreign insurgents fighting on behalf of local rebel groups is a common occurrence. They have been an increasing source of concern because they engage in deadlier attacks than local fighters do. They also violate international laws and norms of citizenship. And because of their zeal, their adversaries - often the most powerful countries in the world - are frequently incapable of deterring them. Foreign Fighters have made headlines in recent wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, and the term is widely equated with militant Islamists. However, foreign fighters are not a new phenomenon. Throughout modern history, outside combatants have fought on behalf of causes ranging from international communism to aggrieved ethnic groups. Analyzing the long history of foreign fighters in the modern era helps us understand why they join insurgencies, what drives their behavior, and what policymakers can do in response.

In Foreign Fighters, David Malet examines how insurgencies recruit individuals from abroad who would seem to have no direct connection to a distant war. Remarkably, the same recruiting strategies have been employed successfully in all foreign fighter cases, regardless of the particular circumstances of a conflict. Malet also catalogues foreign fighters in civil wars over the past two centuries, providing data indicating that they are disproportionately successful and growing in number. Detailed case histories constructed from archival material and original interviews demonstrate the same recruitment patterns in highly diverse conflicts including the Texas Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, the Israeli War of Independence, and the Afghanistan War. The results show that foreign fighters from Davy Crockett to George Orwell to Osama bin Laden create and respond to strategically crafted appeals to defend transnational communities under dire threat.

By: David Malet (Director of Security Policy Studies Elliott School of International Affairs The George Washington University)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 4g
ISBN: 9780190691899
ISBN 10: 0190691891
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 11 May 2017
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgements Introduction 1: Why We Fight (Elsewhere) 2: A History of Foreign Fighters 3: The Texas Revolution (1835-1836) 4: The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) 5: The Israeli War of Independence (1947-1949) 6: Afghanistan (1978-1992) and Beyond Conclusion: Responses to Transnational Insurgency Appendix A: Development of the Term Foreign Fighter Appendix B: Observation Set Coding Bibliography

David Malet is Director of the Security Policy Studies Program of the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs

Reviews for Foreign Fighters: Transnational Identity in Civil Conflicts

[A] thorough exploration of why and how foreign fighters get involved in wars far away from their homes... -- Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs ...undoubtedly offers important insights for policymakers, military strategists and scholars alike. -- Ilana Rothkopf, LSE Review of Books In Malet's view, modern transnational jihadist fighters are part of a long historical tradition that includes Communists like Che Guevara and William Alexander Morgan who fought in the Cuban Revolution, Zionists like future haircare pioneer Vidal Sassoon who fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, anti-fascists like Andre Malraux and George Orwell who fought in the Spanish Civil War, Americans like Davy Crockett who fought in the Texas Revolution, or nationalist romantics Lord Byron, who fought in the Greek War of Independence. -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy