CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VI( 1)
personal characteristics, which is education, socio-economic position, welfare, etc 1.
The number of foreign fighters in ISIS varies in every study. In fact, these numbers vary from 10,000 to, in some cases, 60,000 people 2. This difference in data can be explained by the fact that the actual numbers are kept in secrecy 3.
Scholars Charlie Winter and Tiffany Tse underline the importance of online recruitment and propaganda in getting foreigners to become IS fighters. Winter builds his study around the“ three mechanisms of recruitment: echo chamber, propaganda and enlister” 4. He gives explanations of each phase, thus making the procedure of ISIS recruitment look smooth and organized. Tiffany Tse’ s work also includes a research on the main characteristics, based on which the potential ISIS fighters are being chosen by the ISIS itself: gender( 10 % of fighters are women), geography, religion, and socioeconomic status of the person 5. Goguadze and Kapanadze on their turn add to the importance of bad socio-economic factor, by saying that“ lack of proper education allows spread of fundamentalist-radical ideas” 6. They bring the example of Georgian families in the region of Pankisi Gorge, that are in better economic conditions because of having a family member fighting in the ranks of ISIS.
Many authors have also concentrated on the issue of recruiting women and children to the ranks of IS fighters. Such authors as
1 Winter C., An integrated approach to Islamic State recruitment, Australian
Strategic Policy Institute, 25.05.2016, https:// www. aspi. org. au / report / integratedapproach-islamic-state-recruitment 2 ISIS Foreign Fighters: Which Countries Do They Come From?, Retrieved
January 15, 2017, http:// time. com / 4739488 / isis-iraq-syria-tunisia-saudi-arabiarussia /
3
Kirk A., Iraq and Syria: How many foreign fighters are fighting for Isil? The Telegraph, 29.03. 2016, http:// www. telegraph. co. uk / news / 2016 / 03 / 29 / iraq-andsyria-how-many-foreign-fighters-are-fighting-for-isil / 4 Ibid
5
Tse T.,( 2016) ISIS and Recruitment: How Do Demographics Play a Role? Carnegie Mellon University.
6
Goguadze, G. and Kapanadze S., Daesh and Challenges Facing Georgia. Georgia’ s Reforms Associates( GRASS) Policy Document, 25.11. 2015, http:// grass. org. ge / wp-content / uploads / 2015 / 12 / Daesh-and-Challenges-Facing- Georgia. pdf
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