Description
By (author) Haenni, Patrick; By (author) Drevon, Jerome
Short /annotation:
How did a jihadi group reform into the movement rebuilding Syria after Assad?
:
How did a jihadi group transform into the movement rebuilding Syria after Assad?
In December 2024, to global astonishment, former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a coalition to overthrow the Syrian regime. This fascinating account unravels HTS”s dramatic transformation since 2019, from a besieged insurgent enclave to a conservative Islamist government.
Drawing on interviews with HTS leaders including Ahmad al-Sharaa himself–as well as diplomats, dissidents and opponents–the authors reveal the group”s pragmatic evolution while ruling Idlib province, in the face of global and local constraints. They uncover how HTS approached religious minorities, redefined its understanding of sharia, and embraced a non-radical conservative society. HTS reshaped its identity not only in northwest Syria, but on the world stage, aligning with NATO member and secular republic Turkey, confronting both al-Qaeda and Islamic State, and marginalising die-hards in its own ranks, in favour of a popular, mosque-based Islam.
This book offers a glimpse into HTS”s startling journey, blending frontline narratives with sharp analysis to decode the group”s success in outmanoeuvring the regime and mapping its own path to power.
Table of contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction: A Revolutionary Outlook on Ideological Realignments 1. The Foundational Matrix: Jabhat Al-Nusra’s Evolution in an Uneasy Jihadi Mould 2. The Struggle for Dominance: HTS’ hegemonic Ambitions in Syria’s Opposition 3. Dismantling the Radical Past 4. Exiting Jihadism 5. Hollowing Out Salafism 6. The Thermidorian Opening to Sufism 7. Dhimmis No More, Citizens Not Yet: Otherness Recast in Secular Minority Terms 8. Flirting with the Silent Majority: HTS’s Mainstream Turn 9. The 2024 Idlib Arab Spring: Deradicalisation as Power Politics 10. Respect the Martyrs But Don’t Kill the Market!: Moralising a Nascent Public Sphere in Idlib 11. HTS’s Silent Revolution: Why Deradicalisation Does Not Need Moderates and Why Intentions Do Not Matter 12. Ideological Recentering in an Age of Illiberalism Epilogue: In Search of Itself: The Ambiguous Rise of Sunni Identity Politics Notes Index
Review quote:
”[An] impressive study . . . Transformed by the People is by its nature a book that will have a particularly select readership but it is probably the best of its kind in English to date on the subject and is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Syria in the post-Assad era.”
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”Haenni and Drevon are both experts on this recent chapter of Syrian history, having watched much of it unfold in real time.”
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”Essential reading… a landmark contribution.”
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”A timely analysis of how a jihadi faction reinvented itself as a governing force in post-Al-Assad Syria.”
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”Haenni and Drevon have done the impossible: They stuck with the Syrian tragedy long after others had shifted their attention, focused on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham at a time when it was not yet fashionable, and enjoyed deep familiarity with Syria”s new leaders as everyone else had to play catch up. The result is a gem, a superb, edifying and eye-opening account of the evolution of the jihadist movement and a definitive response to those who wonder whether Sharaa”s conversion and HTS”s deradicalization are genuine or counterfeit. If any policymaker ever questions the utility of field work, you now have your answer: Just give them a copy of Transformed by the People. They won”t regret it.”
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”The authors have marshalled a
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