Progress and Decline of Insurgent Groups: The Case of the Free Syrian Army

Abstract

The article examines the Free Syrian Army, one of the largest Syrian insurgent group that takes part in armed confl ict against Bashar al-Assad’s government. The article reveals how the nature and characteristics of this insurgent group aff ected its development during the Syria Civil War. The fi rst part of the article provides a general background of the group and its principles. The following part sketches out the theoretical framework providing the necessary anchor for the main hypothesis explored in the article, namely that the nature and character of the insurgent group determine its subsequent evolution. Starting from the assumption that there are three diff erent types of insurgent groups: political, religious and ethnic, the article focuses on the diff erences between the creation of ethnic and non-ethnic groups and defi nes how the nature of the group aff ects the development of the Free Syrian Army. Furthermore, the article provides an analysis of how, between 2012 and 2018, this insurgent group was able to manage and control its territory, develop its military potential and infl uence the numbers of its members. Finally, the Free Syrian Army is compared with another insurgent group, the 19th of April Movement (M- 19), active in Colombia during 1970s–1990s. Through this lens, the article argues that by looking at the nature of an insurgent group, it can be possible to predict its capacity and chances of success.

References

1. Barth, F. Ethnic Groups and Boundaries. The Social Organization of Culture Difference. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1969. 
2. Chandra, K. “What Is Ethnic Identity and Does It Matter?” Annual Review Political Science, Vol. 9, 2006, pp. 397–424. 
3. Cohen, R. “Ethnicity: Problem and Focus in Anthropology,” Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 7, 1978, pp. 379–403. 
4. Duran, M. G., Loewenhertz, V. G., and Hormaza, P. O. M-19’s Journey from Armed Struggle to Democratic Politics: Striving to Keep the Revolution Connected to the People. Berlin: Berghof Research Center for Constructive Confl ict Management, 2008, URL: http://edoc.vifapol.de/opus/volltexte/2011/2548/pdf/transitions_m19.pdf 
5. Enders, D., and Landay, J. “One Year in, Will Syria Become a Guerrilla War?” McClatchy, March 12, 2012, URL: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/ world/article24726148.html 
6. Euphrates Shield Dynamo Report. Gaziantep: Assistance Coordination Unit, 2017, URL: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/fi les/resources/Euphrates_Shield_DYNAMO_ EN.pdf 
7. Lister, C. The Free Syrian Army: A Decentralized Insurgent Brand. Washington: Brookings Institution, Center for Middle East Policy, 2016, URL: https://www.brookings. edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/iwr_20161123_free_syrian_army1.pdf 
8. O’Bagy, E. The Free Syrian Army. Washington: Institute for the Study of War, 2013, URL: http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/fi les/The-Free-Syrian-Army- 24MAR.pdf 
9. Sofer, K., and Shafroth, J. “The Structure and Organization of the Syrian Opposition,” Center for American Progress, May 14, 2013, URL: https://www. americanprogress.org/issues/security/reports/2013/05/14/63221/the-structure-andorganization- of-the-syrian-opposition/ 
10. Van Wagenen, W. “There is no FSA, There is only Al-Qaeda,” Arrêt sur Info, January 17, 2018, URL: https://arretsurinfo.ch/there-is-no-fsa-there-is-only-al-qaeda/