There and back again: The foreign fighters security threat in the Mediterranean

How do foreign fighters represent an international and domestic security threat in the Mediterranean basin? Foreign fighters have captured the attention of the media and academic community due to their significant involvement in the Syrian civil war, specifically joining the Islamic State (IS) and other jihadist groups. More than 40,000 foreign nationals joined IS, and many returned to their home countries. The existing scholarship on foreign fighters highlights their potential involvement in planning and perpetrating terrorist attacks in their home countries or acting as recruiters and trainers of a new wave of combatants. This article critically examines the existing scholarship and current trends to provide a nuanced assessment of the security threat posed by foreign fighters, with a particular focus on returnees and the specific dynamics of the Mediterranean region. It argues that, while returnees can pose a genuine security risk – with only a minority capable of planning attacks or acting as recruiters and trainers – the actual scale of this threat is often overstated, with other drivers, such as the management of detention facilities in northeastern Syria, being more critical. To this end, the article recommends enhancing cooperation between Mediterranean countries, strengthening the existing fora, and fostering bilateral ties with the new Syrian government to facilitate the repatriation of foreign fighters.