Deradicalization of Returnees to Jordan and Morocco: Limitations, Strengths, and Lessons for the Region

Deradicalization, Returnees, Limitations, Jordan, Morocco, Policy

In an era that has witnessed the migration of over 40,000 foreign fighters from over 120 countries to Iraq and Syria since 2011, the near defeat of the Islamic State’s territorial caliphate has already begun to have outsized effects on the home countries to which those fighters are now returning. The United States, for its part, has led the call for states to repatriate their citizens, knowing full well the risks of leaving regional security to underfunded and under-resourced Middle Eastern governments.1 While some of these governments have agreed to repatriate their citizens, many are still scrambling to develop policies that provide a comprehensive strategy to reintegrate their returnees.