Papers by alessandro boncio
The Italian jihadist scene with its fluid profile and features has been analyzed in different occ... more The Italian jihadist scene with its fluid profile and features has been analyzed in different occasions by academics and experts. Their publications however, were conducted with a qualitative approach and, apart from some real cases description and analysis, there is a vacuum in the quantitative research that needs to be filled. This short paper is aimed at statistically analyzing data coming from some possible risk factors of violent jihadist radicalization proposed by the prevailing academic literature; the aim is to fill the abovementioned void in the research and promote a more thorough analysis to verify whether there are common denominators that can alert social workers and/or security services about individuals on the path of violent radicalization. The research is limited in sheer numbers and is related only to foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) involved in the Syrian-Iraqi conflict. The data were collected by the author regarding individuals listed by the Italian government in the FTF national record, with information collected through open sources. The principal goal of this paper is to verify the subsistence of shared radicalization risk factors in the Italian FTFs milieu, highlighting the possible trajectories exploited by jihadist recruiters and propagandists. However, it is necessary to highlight the fact that this work is only a theoretical hypothesis, which necessarily has to be validated by other studies with a broader analysis sample. Furthermore, validation results should not be taken literally, being clear that a theoretical model remains disconnected from real case scenarios with their unique psychological, personal and societal dynamics.
Il fenomeno dei foreign terrorist fighters in Siria ed Iraq è stato esaminato dal mondo accademic... more Il fenomeno dei foreign terrorist fighters in Siria ed Iraq è stato esaminato dal mondo accademico e dall’intelligence mondiale per le sue peculiarità e per la mobilitazione senza precedenti che ha raggiunto in brevissimo tempo. La minaccia più attuale in ambito terroristico è oggi rappresentata dal possibile rientro dei reduci del jihad, dovuto al collasso territoriale patito da ISIS, con il conseguente innalzamento del rischio per la commissione di attentati e di proselitismo e reclutamento in patria.
L’analisi che segue illustra la situazione italiana del reducismo jihadista dal SIRAQ e la minaccia che ne consegue per la nazione. Nonostante una dimensione numericamente ridotta infatti, il fenomeno del jihadismo globale rende impossibile una valutazione del rischio per il nostro paese che non tenga conto di ulteriori fattori e specificità.
Partendo dall’esame delle diverse tipologie di returnees e dai loro possibili percorsi di rientro, si richiama poi il quadro normativo che l’Italia ha adottato per il contrasto al fenomeno. Inoltre, combinando le politiche di sicurezza a strategie di intervento sociale di lungo periodo, si esamina il primo Disegno di Legge italiano per la prevenzione della radicalizzazione di matrice jihadista, fondamentale strumento di contrasto al proliferare di questa ideologia e, laddove possibile, di recupero per i foreign terrorist fighters delusi e disincantati dall’esperienza vissuta.
Italian Foreign Terrorist Fighters: a quantitative analysis of radicalization risk factors
1 The Italian jihadist scene with its fluid profile and features has been analyzed in different o... more 1 The Italian jihadist scene with its fluid profile and features has been analyzed in different occasions by academics and experts. Their publications however, were conducted with a qualitative approach and, apart from some real cases description and analysis, there is a vacuum in the quantitative research that needs to be filled. This short paper is aimed at statistically analyzing data coming from some possible risk factors of violent jihadist radicalization proposed by the prevailing academic literature; the aim is to fill the abovementioned void in the research and promote a more thorough analysis to verify whether there are common denominators that can alert social workers and/or security services about individuals on the path of violent radicalization. The research is limited in sheer numbers and is related only to foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) involved in the Syrian – Iraqi conflict. The data were collected by the author regarding individuals listed by the Italian government in the FTF national record, with information collected through open sources. The principal goal of this paper is to verify the subsistence of shared radicalization risk factors in the Italian FTFs milieu, highlighting the possible trajectories exploited by jihadist recruiters and propagandists. However, it is necessary to highlight the fact that this work is only a theoretical hypothesis, which necessarily has to be validated by other studies with a broader analysis sample. Furthermore, validation results should not be taken literally, being clear that a theoretical model remains disconnected from real case scenarios with their unique psychological, personal and societal dynamics.
Italian Foreign Terrorist Fighters. Numbers, features and case studies, Nov 16, 2015
Since the rise of the self-proclaimed Caliph Abu Bakr al Baghdadi 2 , the foreign terrorist fight... more Since the rise of the self-proclaimed Caliph Abu Bakr al Baghdadi 2 , the foreign terrorist fighters phenomenon acquired an exceptional interest in the law enforcement, intelligence and academic communities of the countries experiencing such anomaly. This is probably due to the unprecedented dimension reached (the number of combatants having surpassed that of the Afghanistan conflict in the 1980's) and the correlated security threat for the countries of origin of the mujahidiin 3. This paper analyzes the Italian situation, underlining some particular features as well as shared elements with oher European realities. The Italian condition in this context is fluid and constantly evolving; the official number of mujahidiin from Italy is less than a hundred, rather low if compared to elsewhere in Europe, but the trend is significantly rising. Moreover, as some findings point out, there are significant similarities between the Italian salafi-jihadist milieu and its counterparts in other European countries, despite differences e.g. regarding the ethnic communities of origin or the societal level of integration perceived. The last part of the paper aims at highlighting several underrated topics related to the foreign terrorist fighters phenomenon with special reference to the issue of the " returnees ". It argues that it is necessary to build up structured de-radicalization narratives and programs working in parallel to the intelligence and security services and aimed at preventing and repressing possible threats in Italy and beyond.
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Papers by alessandro boncio
L’analisi che segue illustra la situazione italiana del reducismo jihadista dal SIRAQ e la minaccia che ne consegue per la nazione. Nonostante una dimensione numericamente ridotta infatti, il fenomeno del jihadismo globale rende impossibile una valutazione del rischio per il nostro paese che non tenga conto di ulteriori fattori e specificità.
Partendo dall’esame delle diverse tipologie di returnees e dai loro possibili percorsi di rientro, si richiama poi il quadro normativo che l’Italia ha adottato per il contrasto al fenomeno. Inoltre, combinando le politiche di sicurezza a strategie di intervento sociale di lungo periodo, si esamina il primo Disegno di Legge italiano per la prevenzione della radicalizzazione di matrice jihadista, fondamentale strumento di contrasto al proliferare di questa ideologia e, laddove possibile, di recupero per i foreign terrorist fighters delusi e disincantati dall’esperienza vissuta.
L’analisi che segue illustra la situazione italiana del reducismo jihadista dal SIRAQ e la minaccia che ne consegue per la nazione. Nonostante una dimensione numericamente ridotta infatti, il fenomeno del jihadismo globale rende impossibile una valutazione del rischio per il nostro paese che non tenga conto di ulteriori fattori e specificità.
Partendo dall’esame delle diverse tipologie di returnees e dai loro possibili percorsi di rientro, si richiama poi il quadro normativo che l’Italia ha adottato per il contrasto al fenomeno. Inoltre, combinando le politiche di sicurezza a strategie di intervento sociale di lungo periodo, si esamina il primo Disegno di Legge italiano per la prevenzione della radicalizzazione di matrice jihadista, fondamentale strumento di contrasto al proliferare di questa ideologia e, laddove possibile, di recupero per i foreign terrorist fighters delusi e disincantati dall’esperienza vissuta.