The citizen challenging the state: Islamic State and the recruitment of foreign fighters

This thesis critically examines the role of the Islamic State’s foreign fighter. It argues that the projection in propaganda of reflexive, foreign fighters and migrants operates as a recruitment device. This evidence challenges current assumptions of foreign fighters, who are often tautologically confined to “religious ideological” motivations in a group pre-determined as religiously ideological. It reveals that the Islamic State is acutely aware of its salience as a competitive political actor, attempting to provoke a sense of political agency through an articulation of the fragile conditions in the citizen-state relationship. This thesis is organised around three articles. The introduction contextualises the relevance of the Islamic State, followed by a literature review. Article one is a conceptual article, entitled “Articulating Political Agency: Foreign Fighters and the Dynamics of Authority”. It critically evaluates the ideological categorisation of the Islamic State and its foreign fighters before presenting an alternative consideration of membership through authority recognition. Article two, entitled, “‘Now is the Time to Wake up’: Islamic State Narratives of Political Awareness”, applies an innovative, blended methodology to foreign fighter recruitment material. It proves that narratives of political awareness in citizen-state relations scaffold religious themes. The final article is entitled, “Sexual Suppression and Political Agency: Evoking a Woman’s Support for the Islamic State”. It scrutinises an exclusive, “state” sanctioned, woman-authored advice column of the Islamic State. It first contextualises the salience of the column before exhibiting how the narratives provoke support through a multi- pronged approach at challenging state and patriarchal authority. The conclusion presents the implications of this thesis, detailing how the findings evidence that new conceptual and methodological approaches are necessary to understand the recruitment devices in contemporary religious terrorist organisations that compete for transnational support

Not Yet Dead: The Establishment and Regulation of Slavery by the Islamic State

The Islamic State is an organization at the nexus of modern slavery and terrorism. This article provides the first in-depth analysis of how it regulated slavery. With a consideration of gendered approaches, it applies multiple data sources to reveal a three-part assessment of the forms, establishment, and regulation of slavery from 2014 to 2017. Beginning with the August 2014 Sinjar massacre, it reveals the logistics of slavery through an innovative process entitled the Division and Regulation of Enslavement Framework. It concludes with a discussion on the domestic and international aspects of this crime, detailing recommendations for research and policy

The citizen challenging the state: Islamic State and the recruitment of foreign fighters

This thesis critically examines the role of the Islamic State’s foreign fighter. It argues that the projection in propaganda of reflexive, foreign fighters and migrants operates as a recruitment device. This evidence challenges current assumptions of foreign fighters, who are often tautologically confined to “religious ideological” motivations in a group pre-determined as religiously ideological. It reveals that the Islamic State is acutely aware of its salience as a competitive political actor, attempting to provoke a sense of political agency through an articulation of the fragile conditions in the citizen-state relationship. This thesis is organised around three articles. The introduction contextualises the relevance of the Islamic State, followed by a literature review. Article one is a conceptual article, entitled “Articulating Political Agency: Foreign Fighters and the Dynamics of Authority”. It critically evaluates the ideological categorisation of the Islamic State and its foreign fighters before presenting an alternative consideration of membership through authority recognition. Article two, entitled, “‘Now is the Time to Wake up’: Islamic State Narratives of Political Awareness”, applies an innovative, blended methodology to foreign fighter recruitment material. It proves that narratives of political awareness in citizen-state relations scaffold religious themes. The final article is entitled, “Sexual Suppression and Political Agency: Evoking a Woman’s Support for the Islamic State”. It scrutinises an exclusive, “state” sanctioned, woman-authored advice column of the Islamic State. It first contextualises the salience of the column before exhibiting how the narratives provoke support through a multi- pronged approach at challenging state and patriarchal authority. The conclusion presents the implications of this thesis, detailing how the findings evidence that new conceptual and methodological approaches are necessary to understand the recruitment devices in contemporary religious terrorist organisations that compete for transnational support

Global Practice Patterns and Variations in the Medical and Surgical Management of Non-Obstructive Azoospermia: Results of a World-Wide Survey, Guidelines and Expert Recommendations

Purpose: Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is a common, but complex problem, with multiple therapeutic options and a lack of clear guidelines. Hence, there is considerable controversy and marked variation in the management of NOA. This survey evaluates contemporary global practices related to medical and surgical management for patients with NOA. Materials and methods: A 56-question online survey covering various aspects of the evaluation and management of NOA was sent to specialists around the globe. This paper analyzes the results of the second half of the survey dealing with the management of NOA. Results have been compared to current guidelines, and expert recommendations have been provided using a Delphi process. Results: Participants from 49 countries submitted 336 valid responses. Hormonal therapy for 3 to 6 months was suggested before surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) by 29.6% and 23.6% of participants for normogonadotropic hypogonadism and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism respectively. The SSR rate was reported as 50.0% by 26.0% to 50.0% of participants. Interestingly, 46.0% reported successful SSR in <10% of men with Klinefelter syndrome and 41.3% routinely recommended preimplantation genetic testing. Varicocele repair prior to SSR is recommended by 57.7%. Half of the respondents (57.4%) reported using ultrasound to identify the most vascularized areas in the testis for SSR. One-third proceed directly to microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) in every case of NOA while others use a staged approach. After a failed conventional TESE, 23.8% wait for 3 months, while 33.1% wait for 6 months before proceeding to mTESE. The cut-off of follicle-stimulating hormone for positive SSR was reported to be 12-19 IU/mL by 22.5% of participants and 20-40 IU/mL by 27.8%, while 31.8% reported no upper limit. Conclusions: This is the largest survey to date on the real-world medical and surgical management of NOA by reproductive experts. It demonstrates a diverse practice pattern and highlights the need for evidence-based international consensus guidelines

Global Practice Patterns in the Evaluation of Non-Obstructive Azoospermia: Results of a World-Wide Survey and Expert Recommendations

Purpose: Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) represents the persistent absence of sperm in ejaculate without obstruction, stemming from diverse disease processes. This survey explores global practices in NOA diagnosis, comparing them with guidelines and offering expert recommendations. Materials and methods: A 56-item questionnaire survey on NOA diagnosis and management was conducted globally from July to September 2022. This paper focuses on part 1, evaluating NOA diagnosis. Data from 367 participants across 49 countries were analyzed descriptively, with a Delphi process used for expert recommendations. Results: Of 336 eligible responses, most participants were experienced attending physicians (70.93%). To diagnose azoospermia definitively, 81.7% requested two semen samples. Commonly ordered hormone tests included serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (97.0%), total testosterone (92.9%), and luteinizing hormone (86.9%). Genetic testing was requested by 66.6%, with karyotype analysis (86.2%) and Y chromosome microdeletions (88.3%) prevalent. Diagnostic testicular biopsy, distinguishing obstructive azoospermia (OA) from NOA, was not performed by 45.1%, while 34.6% did it selectively. Differentiation relied on physical examination (76.1%), serum hormone profiles (69.6%), and semen tests (68.1%). Expectations of finding sperm surgically were higher in men with normal FSH, larger testes, and a history of sperm in ejaculate. Conclusions: This expert survey, encompassing 367 participants from 49 countries, unveils congruence with recommended guidelines in NOA diagnosis. However, noteworthy disparities in practices suggest a need for evidence-based, international consensus guidelines to standardize NOA evaluation, addressing existing gaps in professional recommendations