Thinking about radicalization after so called Islamic state: An introduction

Radicalization is one of the most debated concepts of the last decades which covers the process in which the individual, who feels alone in the society, departs from mainstream point of view and even adopts violent activities and beliefs. States attach special importance to coping with radicalization because of the fact that radicalization is not only a prospective process but also a retro-active one. In other words, radicalization is, up to a point, preventable, restrainable and reversible process. The process of radicalization tells us a lot about the reasons why people join terrorist organizations, and provides an insight into deradicalization of those who leave such organizations. Terrorist organizations benefited from the environment of failed states in Iraq and Syria and increased their number of terrorist fighters into tens of thousands. During this period, a number of foreign fighters illegally entered Iraq and Syria to join different terrorist organisations. However, a lot of States face with the problem of returned foreign terrorist fighters after the defeat of so called Islamic State. States have to meet the challenge of returnees as they pose a risk of engaging in new recruitment, planning and carrying out new terror plots. Therefore, it is important for States to adopt counterradicalisation policies for those people who alienate in societies and have potential to adopt radical beliefs, to disengage those people who have already adopted such beliefs or participated in conflicts, and to deradicalize those who are disengaged or leave the terrorist organisations.