From Freedom Fighters to Jihadists

Human Resources of Non State Armed Groups

By: Vera Mironova

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Paperback | 1 July 2019

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Paperback
304 Pages

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23.39 x 15.6 x 1.8

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At the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, thousands of pro-democracy rebel groups spontaneously formed to fight the Assad regime. Years later, the revolution was unrecognizable as rebel opposition forces had merged into three major groups: Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al Sham, and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Why did these three groups rapidly increase in size and military strength while others simply disappeared? What is it about their organizational structure and their Islamist ideology that helped group manage their fighters so successfully?

With these questions at the forefront, this book examines the internal organization of armed groups and, in particular, their human resources. Analyzing the growth of these groups through the prism of a labor market theory, this book shows that extreme Islamist groups were able to attract fighters away from more moderate groups because they had better internal organization, took better care of fighters both physically and monetarily, experienced less internal corruption, and effectively used their Islamist ideology to control recruits. With unparalleled access and extensive ethnographic research drawn from her interviews and her year embedded with Iraqi Special Operation forces, Mironova delves deep into the ideological and practical nexus of some of the most radical groups in the Middle East. This book brings together more than 600 survey-interviews with local civilians and fighters on the frontline in Syria and a dataset of human resource policies from 40 armed groups; it is an
invaluable resource for anyone who wants insight into the on the ground functioning of rebel organizations.

Industry Reviews

"...a significant contribution to International Relations scholarship, particularly in the areas of rebel governance and terrorist financing. The book is based on ethnographic research in Syria: Mironova conducted over 600 interviews with members of the Free Syrian Army, Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The author uses labour market theory to explore the complexities of non-state armed groups, focusing on human and financial resources, leadership and management." -- Jessica Davis, Carleton University, Canada, International Affairs "Based on rich first-hand knowledge, Mironova analyses several armed groups, such as al-Nusra and ISIS, ranging from powerful ones with a large member base to groups that only survived a few months. The findings are quite convincing. The book is an incredibly useful resource for understanding the rational decision-making processes of actors in a civil war." -- The Journal of Peace Research

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