Thomas Hegghammer on the Cheese Bell Theory of foreign fighting: “that foreign fighting provides strategic depth – and hence longevity – to movements that would otherwise crumble under domestic repression.”
“Functioning states are like cheese bells in the sense that they crush all minor forms of rebellion inside their jurisdiction. Rebel groups that are caught inside the bell tend to get dismantled, while those that can leave — for example by coming and going as foreign fighters — stand a better chance of survival.”
You may be thinking – what’s a cheese bell?