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The French Approach to Female Violent Extremist Offenders

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Références
In: Tanya Mehra, Thomas Renard and Merlina Herbach (eds.), Female Jihadis Facing Justice: Comparing Approaches in Europe, The Hague, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), 2024
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Accroche

How are women jihadists prosecuted and sentenced in different European countries? What happens when they are incarcerated? What reintegration programs are in place for women formerly detained for terrorism-related offenses?

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© r.classen/Shutterstock.com
Corps analyses

To answer these three questions, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague set up an international research team that examined several hundred cases and conducted dozens of interviews with officials, practitioners, detainees, and more. Marc Hecker, Ifri’s Deputy Director, specializing in terrorism, analyzed the French case.

This research led to the publication of a book that can be downloaded for free.

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This page contains only a summary of our work. If you would like to have access to all the information from our research on the subject, you can download the full version in PDF format.

The French Approach to Female Violent Extremist Offenders

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Security Studies Center
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Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.

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Legionnaires patrolling during the sentinel operation in Paris
Internal Security
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The distinction between internal and external threats is often exaggerated, as the borders are so porous. Conflicts taking place thousands of kilometers from France can have tragic resonances on national territory. Radicalization, terrorism and even organized crime have an international dimension that cannot be ignored.

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From Corsairs to Private Military Contractors. Nonmilitary Maritime Actors and the Historical Continuities of Naval Warfare

Date de publication
26 August 2026
Accroche

Since late 2023, several Houthi attacks on commercial shipping have involved privately contracted armed teams conducting defensive engagements and coordinating immediate response efforts, often in the relative absence of regular naval forces during the immediate hostilities at sea. These cases highlight a strategic tension that increasingly confronts modern navies. On the one hand, they are expected to conduct persistent, low-intensity maritime security tasks such as counterpiracy, maritime policing, and the protection of commercial shipping. On the other hand, they face renewed pressure to prepare for high-intensity conflict against peer and near-peer adversaries amid the return of great power competition.

Pieter ZHAO
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Framework Nation: A European Challenge and French Ambition

Date de publication
10 June 2026
Accroche

First appearing in the early 2000s, the framework nation concept follows several distinct rationales, whether it refers to a country assuming the leadership of a military operation, directing a multinational capability project, or commanding a permanent force structure. In every case, the country that takes on this role fully intends to derive from it additional politico-military influence.

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The Nuanced Relationship Between Public Opinion and Foreign Policy

Date de publication
23 July 2026
Accroche

Public sentiment is something decision-makers must contend with, especially in democratic states. However, the extent to which public opinion shapes foreign policy varies. Three Council of Councils experts in France, India, and Nigeria reflect on how public opinion does—and sometimes does not—affect foreign policy decisions.

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Taking the Pulse: Enough with the Annual NATO Summits, Already?

Date de publication
16 July 2026
Accroche

Over the past ten years, NATO has held almost as many summits as it did during the entirety of the Cold War. Are they still useful, or is it time to stop holding annual meetings?

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© r.classen/Shutterstock.com

How can this study be cited?

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« The French Approach to Female Violent Extremist Offenders », External Book Chapters, Ifri, 5 February 2024.
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female_jihadist_facing_justice_front_cover.png

The French Approach to Female Violent Extremist Offenders