CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2024
| Author | Van Der Veen, Jeroen |
|---|---|
| Title | A Problem of Yesterday, Today, or Tomorrow? Explaining Variation in Repatriation Policies for ISIL-Affiliates from Syria |
| Summary | Since ISIL gave up its last stronghold in 2019, the Syrian Democratic Forces have detained tens of thousands of supporters of the so-called Caliphate, including thousands of foreign fighters in northeast Syria. They have been held without any form of prosecution, and live under severe human rights violations. Moreover, they pose a significant security risk due to radicalization and possible breakouts. Therefore, international organizations, human rights defenders, and experts have repeatedly called on governments to repatriate their nationals from northeast Syria. Despite these calls, most governments are reluctant to repatriate their foreign fighters and only a few countries have taken a proactive approach. This thesis sets out to explore what explains variation in repatriation policies between countries by employing a crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis. This was followed by five interviews with experts from international organizations and NGOs who were directly involved in repatriations. My results suggest that countries with a sufficient level of development (below 60.0 on the Fragile States Index) and a substantial Muslim population (above 44 per cent) repatriate. Countries that miss either condition do not. Those lacking development may miss the resources to carry out such complex and resource-intensive operations, and those without a substantial Muslim population are less inclined to repatriate. I argue that this is due to selective empathy, which may lead to foreign fighters having their citizenship virtualized. Non-Muslim countries may not view their foreign fighters as proper citizens, leading to a perception of these individuals being outside the legal protections of the state. |
| Supervisor | Jenne, Erin K. |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2024/van-der-veen_jeroen.pdf |
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