The "State" Return to the Southern Syria: State and Non-State Actors Interaction

This study considers the changes that may affect the structure of the state in Syria during the post-conflict phase by assessing interactions between state and non-state actors in the lead-up to the reassertion of central control over southern Syria in 2018. These interactions took place at several overlapping levels (state/non-state, state/foreign, non-state/foreign). The study analyzes the interaction between the Syrian regime and ten different actors, arguing that the nature and trajectory of interactions between state and non-state actors were the result of the interaction of two basic categories of factors: internal (characteristics of actors) and external (structural). The main factors affecting how the regime approached specific actors were their political leanings and whether they enjoyed international support. Other factors were less influential on regime policy, i.e., the extent to which the state was able to fill the gap left behind by an actor's withdrawal or the national/transnational character of that actor's political project.


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This study considers the changes that may affect the structure of the state in Syria during the post-conflict phase by assessing interactions between state and non-state actors in the lead-up to the reassertion of central control over southern Syria in 2018. These interactions took place at several overlapping levels (state/non-state, state/foreign, non-state/foreign). The study analyzes the interaction between the Syrian regime and ten different actors, arguing that the nature and trajectory of interactions between state and non-state actors were the result of the interaction of two basic categories of factors: internal (characteristics of actors) and external (structural). The main factors affecting how the regime approached specific actors were their political leanings and whether they enjoyed international support. Other factors were less influential on regime policy, i.e., the extent to which the state was able to fill the gap left behind by an actor's withdrawal or the national/transnational character of that actor's political project.


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