Book contents
- Ghosts of International Law
- Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law: 191
- Ghosts of International Law
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Spanish Civil War and the Legacy of Nineteenth-Century Adventurers
- 2 The Return of the Mercenaries
- 3 Enemies of Humanity or Freedom Fighters?
- Back to the Future
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law
3 - Enemies of Humanity or Freedom Fighters?
The Jihadist Combatant in the Syrian Civil War
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 December 2024
- Ghosts of International Law
- Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law: 191
- Ghosts of International Law
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Spanish Civil War and the Legacy of Nineteenth-Century Adventurers
- 2 The Return of the Mercenaries
- 3 Enemies of Humanity or Freedom Fighters?
- Back to the Future
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law
Summary
Chapter 3 focuses on the figure of the jihadist in the context of the Syrian Civil War. Outlawed as a terrorist by the Security Council and perceived as a security threat in home states, this latest version of the enemy of humanity seems to have nothing in common with previous foreign fighters. The aim of the chapter is to re-inscribe this actor within the longer history of foreign volunteering. It shifts from domestic debates to national courtrooms, showing how the jihadist combatant gets constantly split in two: idealist and fanatic, hero and villain, martyr and freedom fighter. Based on previous images of the foreign fighter, these dichotomies highlight different conceptions of freedom and hence problematize its current conflation with terrorism. The chapter ends with a digression on the laws of war, revealing the persisting cultural bias used against certain foreign combatants through the domestic application of IHL.
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- Ghosts of International LawThe Figure of the Foreign Fighter in a Cultural Perspective, pp. 154 - 209Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024