The evolution of foreign fighters: The case of foreign fighters of Caucasus origin in the Syrian war

In the thesis "The Evolution of Foreign Fighters: The Case of Foreign Fighters of Caucasus Origin in the Syrian War," Foreign Fighters of Caucasus Origin (FFCO) are dealt with among different groups of foreign fighters in the Syrian civil war, which caused one of the largest flow of foreign fighters in history. The thesis seeks to answer the research question: "Why do Foreign Fighters of Caucasus Origin (FFCO) participate in the Syrian civil war?" Surveys were conducted with 125 FFCO who had fought in Syria using quantitative research methods to attain a response. As a result of the study, it was revealed that five main reasons are influential in the participation of FFCO in the Syrian civil war. These factors are: reduced possibility of fighting in North Caucasus due to state control, the influence of Salafi ideology, the disintegration of the Caucasus Emirate, the understanding of jihad, and the desire to fight against Russia in Syria. It has been observed that the most important factor among these is the desire to fight against Russia in Syria.