Since 2017, the Netherlands can instrumentalise citizenship deprivation of foreign fighters located abroad as a counterterrorism measure if it is deemed necessary in the context of national...Show moreSince 2017, the Netherlands can instrumentalise citizenship deprivation of foreign fighters located abroad as a counterterrorism measure if it is deemed necessary in the context of national security. This measure was to be evaluated in late 2021 for its effectiveness. Prior to this debate, Dutch governmental advisory bodies, next to academic literature, released reports advising against the measure’s effectiveness. Nonetheless, the decision was made to prolong the policy on citizenship deprivation of foreign fighters abroad, therefore disregarding expert advice. This study adopts a qualitative thematic analysis and an inductive coding process to investigate the political attitudes and positions of political parties and actors involved in the 2021 debate to identify possible underlying reasons for justifying the prolongation of the policy. An underlying reason identified for the justifications made by political parties and actors is their political positions: distinctions in attitudes on the topic between left- and right-wing parties are identified. Another underlying reason is that political parties tend to ignore experts if their advice does not align with the political parties' interests and agenda. Therefore, political parties' and actors’ justifications can be explained by their political attitudes, positions, and agenda.Show less
