What can we learn from the German experience on repatriating ISIS terrorists?

Episode 171: What to do with Western ISIS ‘foreign fighters’?

So many countries are struggling with what to do with their citizens who thought joining ISIS was a good idea.  While many died over in Iraq and Syria many survived and want to come home.  Not surprisingly, what policy is best to follow is not an easy decision and various countries have adopted various approaches, one of which is Germany.  Borealis talks with German practitioner Sofia Koller on these issues.

About my guest

Sofia Koller is a Senior Research Analyst at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in Berlin, where she currently focuses on the prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration of returnees from Syria and Iraq. She also supports the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) of the European Commission as an external consultant. From 2018 to 2021, Sofia was a Research Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), where she led the International Forum for Expert Exchange on Countering Islamist Extremism (InFoEx). Previously, Sofia worked as a project coordinator and consultant in Lebanon and France. Sofia Koller holds a Master’s degree in International Conflict Studies from King’s College London.

Canadian Intelligence Eh

In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn.  One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counter-terrorism in the national security world. In these half-hour podcasts, 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.

About Phil Gurski

Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Distinguished Fellow in National Security at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specialising in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation. He is the author of six books on terrorism, including the forthcoming second edition of The Peaceable Kingdom: A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the present, to be published by Double Dagger in February 2023.