Who are the American Foreign Fighters Combating ISIS? – Dr. Joseph Young and Dr. Ben Connable

Why do some people go abroad to engage in other people’s wars? Some studies attempt to discern why individuals choose to fight in distant lands or seek to count how many do so. The term “foreign fighter” has been used nearly exclusively in recent research to describe transnational fighters who join with Islamist organizations, or more generally for individuals fighting with resistance groups against a state. However, little research has been done on the many transnational fighters who travel to fight against resistance groups or against Islamist organizations. In this event, Dr. Joseph Young, an associate professor at American University’s School of International Service, and Dr. Ben Connable, a senior political scientist at RAND, will discuss the transnational fighters who battle against the Islamic State, focusing on Americans who engage in such activities.