Analysis of the foreign terrorist fighters phenomenon in the Jihadism context

Abstract

The progressive increase of citizens traveling from different parts of the world to join terrorist groups in places where the focus of conflicts is located, the so-called foreign terrorist fighters (FTCs), poses a complex challenge to global security. In recent decades, this phenomenon has been particularly linked to jihadism. Moreover, the threat persists with the return to the states of origin, the so-called returnees, or the challenges of managing these people in the receiving territories. This article analyzes the phenomenon, its evolution -in relation to Daesh and its activity in Iraq and Syria- and the instruments provided by the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and Spain to prevent and combat it. All this, through a systematized bibliographic review and the study of strategies and open access legislation. In general terms, the conclusion is that there is a need to strengthen instruments and provide others that transcend punitivism.