This insightful, practitioner-based account by a retired Canadian government intelligence analyst examines the challenges facing Canada and its Western allies from homegrown Islamist extremists…. This book is recommended as a secondary textbook in courses on terrorism and counterterrorism, with each chapter beginning with a chapter abstract and concluding with a summary.

Perspectives on Terrorism

Western Foreign Fighters will undoubtedly resonate with readers…. Western Foreign Fighters is an important book that presents a fine contribution to an emerging field of policy concern and academic interest.

Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression

Phil Gurski has provided an easily accessible approach to one of the most challenging security problems of our time. In particular, he presents the full array of policy options confronting governments and voters considering how to address the threat of returned fighters from ISIS and other militant groups.

David Malet, director of the Security Policy Studies Program, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

This valuable book supports the fundamental conclusion that the threat from Islamic State veterans returning to the West is real and significant. A must read for scholars and security professionals alike.

Joshua Kilberg, adjunct research professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University

Phil Gurski is uniquely qualified to write about foreign terrorist fighters and the threat they pose to Canada and the West. The result is a unique and invaluable contribution to our understanding of this complex and poorly understood phenomenon. This important book will prove useful and interesting to academics and practitioners in the field of terrorism. It will also be relevant for members of the general public interested in better understanding the challenges posed by foreign fighters.

Thomas Juneau, assistant professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa

Western foreign fighters worry the intelligence community, policy makers, politicians and the general public. We find it difficult to understand the phenomenon. In the last couple of years, thousands have traveled to the battlefields in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. Who are these men and women? Why do they risk their lives in faraway countries? And do they pose a threat to us? No better person to look into these difficulties than Phil Gurski. With his academic background and his many years of experience in the field of counter terrorism he has found the right lenses to investigate this highly complex phenomenon. Putting things in historical perspective and helping us to better understand why men go to war helps us to not see these persons as brainwashed kids but also see the attractiveness of becoming a foreign fighter. Gurski also makes clear that we have to prevent this from happening and that there is a certain risk when these foreign fighters return home. Assessing the threat and adding policy recommendations to his study makes this book a highly valuable study to all that are interested in what is one of the most worrisome security issues both in and to the Western world.

Edwin Bakker, Professor in Terrorism and Counter Terrorism Studies, Director of the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University