Foreign fighters and security debates in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the context of social constructivism

The Foreign Fighter phenomenon which has emerged in different forms throughout history, has gained a new dimension with the "Global Jihad" context with the Afghanistan War in 1980s. Foreign fighters who was seeking new "jihad fields" after the the Afghanistan War, joined in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina which emerged between 1992-1995. During the post-war period, some foreign fighters didn't leave the country and therefore they caused security concerns. These concerns have been expressed about the spread of radical ideas among Bosniak Muslims by these foreign fighters and the 'Afghanistanization' of the country. Today, the foreign fighters issue in the country take on a new dimension with new recriutments as foreign fighters from Bosnia to conflict in Syria and Iraq. As a result, in case of returning to the country, security threat about these foreign fighters who went to Syria and Iraq and joined some terrorist organizations like DAESH has been added to the security concerns about foreign fighters in the country. The main objective of this study is is to analyze the security concerns about the foreign fighter phenomenon in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the perspective of identity with using the Constructivist approach. A descriptive method based on the narration of historical events was used in the research. The data of the research were obtained by using qualitative research techniques. However, the research arguments were also supported with using quantitative data. Thus, during the data collection phase, literature which related to the subject was reviewed, and books, articles, reports, internet sources in the literature and studies that include numerical and statistical data about to the subject was used. The basic claims raised in the study were tested by using the theoretical framework established in the Constructivist approach. The security concerns about foreign fighters in Bosnia and Herzegovina are analyzed in the context of identity and the result of the analysis is that Bosniak identitiy and the state identity of Bosnia and Herzegovina will not allow the domination of foreign fighters in the country at a security threat level. Peaceful and tolerant religious identity of Bosniak Muslims, moreover, secular and pro-Western characteristics of Bosniak identity and the state identitiy of Bosnia and Herzegovina is quite different from the identity characteristics of the foreign fighters who live in the country. Therefore, as occured in Afghanistan, acceptance and penetration of foreign fighters' identity in Bosnia and Herzegovina does not seem possible.