This article seeks to explain how Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), al-Qa‘ida’s former affiliate in Syria, adopted an increasingly locally-focused strategy. Drawing on the social movement literature, HTS’s trajectory is conceptualized as a process of “downward scale shift. This article sets out a series of mechanisms that give rise to this process. In doing so, it serves to illustrate that while ideology is a key element in shaping militant groups’ political behavior, insofar as it informs their strategies and their definition of enemies, militants’ choices are also influenced by their interaction with other actors and the environment, and their own understanding of emerging opportunities and threats.
A Downward Scale Shift? The Case of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
Carenzi, Silvia
2020
Abstract
This article seeks to explain how Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), al-Qa‘ida’s former affiliate in Syria, adopted an increasingly locally-focused strategy. Drawing on the social movement literature, HTS’s trajectory is conceptualized as a process of “downward scale shift. This article sets out a series of mechanisms that give rise to this process. In doing so, it serves to illustrate that while ideology is a key element in shaping militant groups’ political behavior, insofar as it informs their strategies and their definition of enemies, militants’ choices are also influenced by their interaction with other actors and the environment, and their own understanding of emerging opportunities and threats.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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