Foreign Fighters and U.S. Policy: Tracking Mobilization Hubs to Stem the Flow

From  The Washington Institute
April 22, 2021, starting at 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT)
Brief Analysis

Join us for a webcast as experts explore how the Biden administration can mitigate the historical ebb and flow of foreign fighter mobilization. Watch live starting at 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Thursday, April 22, 2021.

Although the Islamic State’s ability to attract foreign fighters may have been unprecedented in sheer numbers, the jihadist recruiting drive launched in 2013 was still part of a larger historical trend. Before and since then, foreign fighters have had the same pernicious effects wherever they go, from extending conflicts and exacerbating local tensions to disproportionately harming civilians and increasing the risk of terrorist attacks against the United States and its partners.

To discuss these problems and how the Biden administration can mitigate them, The Washington Institute is pleased to announce a virtual Policy Forum with Naureen Chowdhury Fink and Nate Rosenblatt, author of a new Institute study that explores the historical ebb and flow of foreign fighter mobilizations and how a small set of geographical “hubs” have formed to support them. Matthew Levitt, the Institute’s Fromer-Wexler Fellow, will moderate the event.

Nate Rosenblatt is a doctoral candidate in sociology at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, and an International Security Program fellow at New America. He has lived, worked, and conducted field research in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

Naureen Chowdhury Fink is executive director of the Soufan Center and former senior policy advisor on counterterrorism and sanctions at the UK Mission to the UN. She has also worked with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), UN Women, and various think tanks.

The Policy Forum series is made possible through the generosity of the Florence and Robert Kaufman Family.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nate Rosenblatt

 

Nate Rosenblatt is a doctoral candidate in sociology at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, and an International Security Program fellow at New America.

 

Naureen Chowdhury Fink

 

Naureen Chowdhury Fink is executive director of the Soufan Center and former senior policy advisor on counterterrorism and sanctions at the UK Mission to the UN.

 

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