Military-Political-Social Roles of Islamic Opposition Armed Groups Under the Weak State: the Case of Syria, 2011-2018

Abstract

This study examines the military, political, and social roles of Islamist opposition armed groups in Syria from 2011 to 2018 focusing on their interactions with the state and with society. The study first charts the expansion of Islamist armed groups showing how they broke with the way the regime organized state-society relations before 2011. The study then examines the differences among Islamist armed groups in military strategy, alliance-building, and governance; and the impact of regional and international relationships on their domestic political choices. The findings underscore the nuanced continuum between insurgent violence and governance, revealing how local legitimacy, service delivery, and relationships with communities shape the power trajectories of Islamist movements in Syria. The study highlights the emergence of a moderate Islamic civil society within territories controlled by these groups, its potential to substitute for weak state authority, and the tensions this creates over genuine representation of the populations’ interests.