The European Union’s «Foreign Terrorist Fighters» in the Light of Resolution 2178 (2014) of the United Nations Security Council

Authors

  • Inmaculada Marrero Rocha

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18042/cepc/rdce.54.04

Keywords:

Foreign Fighters, terrorists, European Union, member States, United Nations Security Council

Abstract

Today, thousands of European Union Member States’ nationals and residents are in Iraq or Syria fighting with different insurgent groups, some of which are classified as international terrorist organizations. Although European foreign fighters are not a new phenomenon, these individuals are directly or indirectly involved in the commission of acts of terrorism in European countries, bearing in mind that some of those responsible for the attacks in Paris in November 2015 and Brussels in March 2016 would have fought or received training at the Syrian front. Resolution 2178 (2014) of the Security Council describes this group of individuals as Foreign Terrorist Fighters and recommends that States develop a series of measures to address this threat. The aim of this study is to examine, from the International Relations perspective, the scope and nature of the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters in the European Union, whether they are nationals or residents, the measures that Member States and the Union itself have developed to address this danger and its relevance to the content of Resolution 2178. 

Issue

Section

STUDIES