Anne Sofie Schøtt

Islamisk Stat findes stadig. Ikke som en selvudråbt stat på grænsen mellem Irak og Syrien, men som en terrororganisation. De seneste trusselsvurderinger fra både FE (Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste) og PET (Politiets Efterretningstjeneste) viser også, at organisationen fortsat udfører angreb i Mellemøsten og Afrika og appellerer til sympatisører i Danmark.

I Irak er antallet af angreb begået af Islamisk Stat imidlertid blevet færre i de seneste år.

Men selv om der er færre irakere, som mister livet på grund af angreb fra Islamisk Stat, udgør bevægelsens angreb stadig en alvorlig trussel mod den irakiske stats stabilitet. I 2022 stod Islamisk Stat således i gennemsnit bag 38 angreb og 64 døde hver måned i Irak. Det bemærkelsesværdige er, at angrebene især finder sted i nogle særlige områder. eUd over området i og omkring Baghdad drejer det sig primært om grænseområdet mellem den autonome Kurdistan-region i Nordirak og resten af Irak.

Jeg vil i denne artikel undersøge, hvorfor det går så langsomt med at løse sikkerhedsproblemet netop i grænseområdet. Det sker på baggrund af 10 dages nyligt feltarbejde, hvor jeg besøgte de to kurdiske hovedbyer Erbil og Sulaymaniyah i Nordirak.

Examines how the Kurdish diaspora in Denmark supported the Kurdish struggle in Syria from the battle of Kobane (2014) to the defeat in Afrin (2018).

The book contributes to our understanding of mobilisation and identity formation in the periphery of the Kurdish diaspora by examining the small but well-established community in Denmark. Arguing that the diaspora is treated differently by the Danish authorities – in comparison to neighbouring Sweden and Germany – Anne Sofie Schøtt examines the political lobbyism, the courtroom activism and the humanitarian action of the various Kurdish diaspora groups. This includes examining the position of the Syrian Kurds within the diaspora who, like the Kurds in Syria, have been largely ignored until recently.

The book also provides new knowledge on diaspora engagement in war in the homeland by analysing the strategic interaction between the Danish authorities and the Kurdish diaspora community – both engaged in the war against Islamic State, but on different terms.

Key Features

• Investigates how the Kurdish diaspora mobilised in support of Syrian Kurds, stressing the role of transnational actors in war

• Introduces strategic interactionism into the study of diaspora mobilisation, showing new paths for research

• Coins the term ‘alter-territorial’ identification to clarify how some Kurds identify with the political entity in a part of Kurdistan other than their place of origin

After the international intervention in Libya and the overthrow of Gadda in 2011, the Libyan people are, as the summer of 2014 draws to a close, finally facing the crucial task of setting a new constitution. The main question is which Libyan national identity the constitution will set forth. Will it be an Arab and Islamic national identity? Or will it be more inclusive of the non-Arab Libyans and the secular part of the population?