What drives Europeans to Syria, and to IS ? Insights from the Belgian case

Radicalisation studies and policies mostly neglect the context that permits it to arise. This paper argues that today’s foreign fighters that voyage from Europe to Syria are difficult to compare with the yesterday’s foreign fighter. They differ significantly from their predecessors, as does the context that propels them to a faraway country. Their decision is no longer the outcome of a process of political radicalisation, as is often touted by authorities. It is rooted in a specific youth subculture that has developed in reaction to an environment many young people in Europe resent as complex,... Mehr ...