Overview

The trend of young people travelling from Australia and other western nations to fight in conflict zones in Syria and Iraq is causing a great deal of concern for our politicians, policy makers and society at large.

However, this phenomenon is not a new one, nor is it solely linked to Islamic countries. Westerners have been involved in conflicts as foreign combatants for hundreds of years.

Historians and analysts argue there are lessons that we can learn from past conflicts when working out how to deal with the problem of foreign fighters and the risks they can pose both abroad and at home.

Guests

Professor Sarah Percy, Professor of International Relations at the University of Western Australia.

Dr David Malet, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Melbourne.

Dr Judith Keene, Associate Professor and Historian at the University of Sydney.

Andrew Zammit, former researcher at Monash University's Global Terrorism Research Centre, currently a PhD candidate at Melbourne University.