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Influences of Islamist Radicalization: A Configurational Analysis of Balkan Foreign Fighters in Syria

“While recruitment of IS foreign fighters was highly decentralized, local radical milieus secured both resilient social structures and authority, concentrated in influencers’ networks.”
foreign fighters
radicalization
recruitment
qualitative comparative analysis (QCA)
terrorism
violent extremism

Asya Metodieva and Michael C. Zeller, “Influences of Islamist Radicalization: A Configurational Analysis of Balkan Foreign Fighters in Syria,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (in press): 1-27, doi: 10.1080/1057610X.2023.2213967

Authors
Affiliation

Asya Metodieva

Central European University

Michael C. Zeller

Central European University

Published

May 2023

Doi

10.1080/1057610X.2023.2213967

Other details

Presented to the Comparative Politics section of the Swiss Political Science Association Annual Congress in 2022.

Abstract

Recent research on Islamist radicalization has directed greater attention to the conjunctions of causes and staged processes that draw individuals into violent extremism. Yet research is still grappling with the varying extents of individual action and external factors, including social networks, peer pressure, propaganda, cultural and socio-economic conditions, on radicalization processes. At bottom, this investigation revolves around the context in which individuals live and the influences acting upon them. Identifying patterns of these conditions is essential to understanding how individuals come to engage in violent extremism. This article presents a configurational analysis of foreign fighters that travelled to fight in the Syrian War. The paper presents data gathered from interviews, security and judicial records, and secondary sources on individuals from the Western Balkans (predominantly Bosnia and Herzegovina) that joined Islamist groups in the Syrian War. Individuals’ relationship with longstanding Balkan radical milieus and with key Islamist preachers were coded. Using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) techniques, we present a systematic description of characteristics of foreign fighters.

Important figures

Figure 1. Summary of research process

Figure 3. A Heatmap showing the clustering of cases based on their connection (if any) to radical influencers and their relationship with the radical milieu. Bars within the cells show the proportions of fighters, women, children, and recruiters.

Figure 4. Set relations of foreign fighters, individuals with a positive active relationship to the radical milieu, individuals connected to Imamovíc, and individuals connected to Bilal B.

Figure 5. Set relations of foreign fighters, individuals connected to Bilal B., individuals affiliated with Al-Nusra front, and individuals affiliated with Islamic State.

Figure 6. Set relations of foreign fighters, individuals connected to Nusret I., individuals affiliated with JN, and individuals affiliated with IS

Citation

Add to Zotero 

@article{metodieva2023influences,
  title={Influences of Islamist Radicalization: A Configurational Analysis of Balkan Foreign Fighters in Syria},
  author={Metodieva, Asya and Zeller, Michael C},
  journal={Studies in Conflict \& Terrorism},
  pages={1--26},
  year={2023},
  publisher={Taylor \& Francis}
}