What we're reading: October 2025
This month at the Defence Research Network, we’ve been exploring how ideology drives individuals to fight in foreign wars and how global powers compete for influence across critical regions.
Foreign Fighters and the Extreme Right: Tracking Far-Right Volunteers Beyond the Ukraine War by Daniel Koehler and Miroslav Mareš explores the overlooked phenomenon of right-wing extremist foreign fighters, tracing their involvement from Ukraine to earlier conflicts in Yugoslavia, Algeria, and South America. Meanwhile, Federico Donelli’s Power Competition in the Red Sea: Testing the Post-Liberal International Order examines how global powers, particularly China and the United States, vie for influence in a region increasingly central to global security and trade. Together, these books reveal how ideology and power struggles shape the contemporary international order across both land and sea.
Foreign Fighters and the Extreme Right: Tracking Far-Right Volunteers Beyond the Ukraine War
By Daniel Koehler, Miroslav Mareš
This new book explores the overlooked phenomenon of right-wing extremist foreign fighters. While research has largely focused on jihadist movements like ISIS, this volume examines how far-right volunteers have joined conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, as well as earlier wars in Yugoslavia, Algeria, and South America. Featuring contributions from leading experts, it offers a comprehensive analysis of extreme right-wing foreign fighting since the Second World War.
Power Competition in the Red Sea: Testing the Post-Liberal International Order
By Federico Donelli
This new book examines the Red Sea as an emerging arena of global competition, where major powers, particularly China and the United States, vie for influence and control. The book analyses the geopolitical, economic, and security dynamics shaping this contest, from strategic shipping routes to terrorism and transnational crime. Drawing on International Relations theories, the book assesses great-power alliances and military presence to anticipate shifts in global power balances.
