How a dispute over European ISIS members split a ruling coalition
Despite the many risks of inaction, European governments are reluctant to repatriate ISIS supporters due to fear of the political consequences
IS
Open letter: Call for a managed return of ISIS foreign fighters
A number of ECFR Council Members urge European governments to immediately begin a programme of managed repatriation of ISIS foreign fighters in Syria
European foreign fighters in Syria: The cost of inaction
Repatriation remains the most effective way for EU member states to assess each case, prosecute jihadists where necessary, and interrogate returnees to learn more about ISIS methods and plans
A tribunal for ISIS fighters?
The goal of establishing an international tribunal to prosecute ISIS fighters is gaining momentum in European capitals, however, whether this aspiration can be translated into a credible policy remains to be seen
In legal limbo: EU returnees in the post-ISIS era
European governments are avoiding international obligations to take their own citizens back. And the Trump administration has noticed.
Egypt’s counterterrorism strategy: The missing element
Egypt’s government is not currently a constructive partner for the West in fighting violent extremism
Six problems with Trump’s anti-ISIS strategy
The emerging picture is of an administration single-mindedly focused on inflicting military defeats, at the expense of the more complicated political dimensions needed to underpin sustainable solutions
Turkish-Kurdish race to seize ISIS territory
Turkey has entered open war with ISIS and is attempting to stifle Kurdish gains in norther Syria
Cameron’s case for Syria strikes falls short
In the absence of an adequate political and diplomatic strategy, bombing in Syria may do more harm than good
Migrations: let’s not fall into ISIS’ trap
Closing our borders to keep the others away is precisely what ISIS wants
Publications
Beyond good and evil: Why Europe should bring ISIS foreign fighters home
EU member states have failed to come up with a coherent policy on how to handle the hundreds of their citizens having travelled to join ISIS in Syria
After ISIS: How to Win the Peace in Iraq and Libya
Recent terror attacks in Berlin, Baghdad and Istanbul demonstrate that defeating ISIS militarily is only half the battle
The war next door: Syria and the erosion of stability in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey
Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey have so far been resilient to the spillover from Syria’s civil war, but now the region’s stability is hanging by a thread
Syrian Diplomacy Renewed: From Vienna to Raqqa
An “Islamic State first” strategy, that neglects the urgent need to secure political progress and de-escalation in Syria will fail
Turkey, the Kurds and the fight against Islamic State
Europe must prioritise diplomatic support for peace between Turkey and the Kurds as a pre-requisite for a successful strategy against Islamic State
The Islamic State through the regional lens
Essay collection on the regional dimensions of the IS crisis
Rebooting EU Foreign Policy
The EU is ill-equipped to respond to foreign policy crises
Articles
How a dispute over European ISIS members split a ruling coalition
Despite the many risks of inaction, European governments are reluctant to repatriate ISIS supporters due to fear of the political consequences
Open letter: Call for a managed return of ISIS foreign fighters
A number of ECFR Council Members urge European governments to immediately begin a programme of managed repatriation of ISIS foreign fighters in Syria
European foreign fighters in Syria: The cost of inaction
Repatriation remains the most effective way for EU member states to assess each case, prosecute jihadists where necessary, and interrogate returnees to learn more about ISIS methods and plans
A tribunal for ISIS fighters?
The goal of establishing an international tribunal to prosecute ISIS fighters is gaining momentum in European capitals, however, whether this aspiration can be translated into a credible policy remains to be seen
In legal limbo: EU returnees in the post-ISIS era
European governments are avoiding international obligations to take their own citizens back. And the Trump administration has noticed.
Egypt’s counterterrorism strategy: The missing element
Egypt’s government is not currently a constructive partner for the West in fighting violent extremism
Six problems with Trump’s anti-ISIS strategy
The emerging picture is of an administration single-mindedly focused on inflicting military defeats, at the expense of the more complicated political dimensions needed to underpin sustainable solutions
Turkish-Kurdish race to seize ISIS territory
Turkey has entered open war with ISIS and is attempting to stifle Kurdish gains in norther Syria
Cameron’s case for Syria strikes falls short
In the absence of an adequate political and diplomatic strategy, bombing in Syria may do more harm than good
Migrations: let’s not fall into ISIS’ trap
Closing our borders to keep the others away is precisely what ISIS wants
Specials
The Islamic State through regional lens
This series examines the reaction of key Middle Eastern actors, as well as looking at European policy options, the dynamics driving IS itself, and the impact within Syria and Iraq respectively.
Events
14 Feb
Pourquoi l’Europe doit-elle rapatrier ses ressortissants combattant pour l’EI ?
Madame, Monsieur, cher.e.s ami.e.s de l’ECFR, Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning sur le thème suivant :…
27 Nov
Should Europe bring ISIS foreign fighters back home?
The ECFR chairs a morning session on the highly sensitive topic about Europe´s ISIS fighters who left the continent and are now detained in Syria. What should Europe do? This is the question the experts aim to answer in this open black coffee morning event.
6 Nov
Repatriating the children of ISIS members: the need for a pan-European effort
An off-the-record discussion on the need for a pan-European effort for repatriating the children of ISIS members
28 Mar
Le retour des combattants terroristes étrangers dans l’Union Européenne
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning, en présence de Marc Hecker, Sharon Weill, Anthony Dworkin et Manuel Lafont Rapnouil, directeur du bureau de Paris de l’ECFR sur le thème suivant : « Le retour des combattants terroristes étrangers dans l’Union Européenne ».
2 Oct
« Comment la France peut remobiliser l’Europe au Moyen-Orient »
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à une table ronde avec Nicholas Westcott, Directeur la Royal African Society de Londres, Gurvan Le Bras, Chargé de mission au CAPS, Manuel Lafont Rapnouil, Directeur du bureau de Paris de l’ECFR, et Claude Guibal, grand reporter à France Inter
1 Oct
Russia and the Middle East
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un évènement en partenariat avec l’Institut d’études de sécurité de l’Union européenne (EUISS) avec Nicu Popescu, Stanislav Secrieru, Julien Barnes-Dacey et Timofey Borisov
14 Feb
The New European Counter-Terror Wars
What do counter-terror wars aim to achieve? Are the UK and other European countries setting dangerous legal precedents in their use of force, and what is the likely impact on EU counter-terrorism of any shift in US policy under President Trump?
10 Feb
Quelle stratégie pour l’après-Daech en Irak et en Libye ?
L'ECFR Paris a le plaisir de vous inviter à un nouveau BCM animé par Florence Gaub, Mattia Toaldo et Manuel Lafont Rapnouil
26 Jan
Yemen: What Next?
Is Yemen doomed to delve deeper into the abyss?
20 Jan
Sinai: Sisi’s War on Terror
What is Sisi doing to quash the threat posed by ISIS in Egypt and the wider region?
In the media
We cannot dismiss that Isis-K is planning an attack in Europe. The group has moved from local to global projection and has grown in its ability to conduct attacks
I don’t think that IS is now succeeding in actively recruiting new members
It’s always in the short-term easier to leave them there. The difficulty is seeing what’s going to change that dynamic now.
Anthony Dworkin comments on the need for repatriation of ISIS foreign fighters in order to stem radicalization and the difficulties involved in the undertaking
The potential is there to present a new chapter but we are not sure how competent both sides are
The Islamic State has been ramping up a campaign of violence in rural parts of Iraq since the second half of 2019, focusing on Diyala, Kirkuk and Salahaldin provinces, to the east and north of Baghdad. Both the frequency and character of the attacks have been steadily increasing.
In his column, Sajad Jiyad discusses the increasing attacks by the Islamic State in Iraq.