This lecture is part of the AY22 Middle East Studies (MES) Research Talks series.

The war in Ukraine has drawn tens of thousands of foreign volunteers. The only comparable number of foreign fighters in recent years have been in Syria, but are the Islamic State (ISIS/ ISIL) and Ukraine’s International Legion really comparable? This guest talk examines what we know about foreign fighters and foreign volunteers throughout modern history, including who joins, how they behave on the battlefield, and what happens when they return to their home countries.

Dr. David Malet is an Associate Professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs. An expert on foreign fighters and foreign volunteers in conflict environments, he has published extensively on these subjects, including a book, Foreign Fighters: Transnational Identity in Civic Conflicts (Oxford University Press 2013), and numerous peer-reviewed articles.

Intro/outro music is “Evolution” from BenSound.com (

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