Introduction

Abstract

In this introductory chapter, the authors present the different parts and chapters of a book which is one of the first that comprehensively addresses, from various perspectives, a phenomenon that is not new to societies, but that has received increasing attention in recent years and months, particularly because of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq: the issue of foreign fighters, which this book defines as ‘individuals, driven mainly by ideology, religion and/or kinship, who leave their country of origin or their country of habitual residence to join a party engaged in an armed conflict’. The authors note that the foreign fighters topic will no doubt remain on the political agenda for many years and therefore argue that it is of the utmost importance to deepen our knowledge about the root causes of this phenomenon and to take adequate and rule of law-respecting responses that will bring results in the long term.