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Why should we care about foreign fighters and paramilitary forces in the Middle East? People tend to overlook the rationality behind the reasons why the number of foreign fighters and paramilitary forces has been increasing significantly in the last few years. Many of the rational factors that contribute to the rise of the Islamic State and other paramilitary forces can be found in historical documents. Anthony Sudarmawan lays out historical context to give us a more accurate perspective of the situation.

Anthony Sudarmawan was born in Indonesia to a family who owns a small business. His family members encouraged him to study science or engineering, yet he was determined to pursue a career in international relations after participating in a political conference in Washington, D.C. and New York. He graduated from the University of Iowa in May 2013 with honors in political science and international studies. Since then, he has been active in conducting research on paramilitary forces and foreign fighters in the Middle East while finishing his Master's study at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Anthony Sudarmawan is one of the four recipients of the Findley Fellow Award- a highly prestigious award named after Congressman Paul Findley and awarded to those who achieve academic excellence. As one of the recipients, he delivered a speech in Washington, D.C. last year at the annual U.S.-Arab Policymakers Conference. For more information on the Foreign Relations Council visit their website.