Formalizing Regime Control over Syrian Religious Affairs
On October 10, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad issued Law 31 of 2018 regulating the structure and functions of the Ministry of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) after a parliamentary review that suggested 26 amendments to his draft presidential decree. When this initial draft was presented to parliament on September 20, it triggered widespread…
IS’ strategic management of death
One major source of the resilience and rapid territorial expansion of so called Islamic State (IS) lies in the group’s ability to invest in death through managing it strategically to achieve significant military gains. It is astonishing to realise that over the course of 2016, IS launched nearly…
Understanding calls for reinstating the Islamic State
Creating an Islamic state ruled by the principles of Shari’a law is the cornerstone which a growing Islamic ideology depends on. But this general aim serves as an ideological façade concealing behind it a heterogeneous mixture of groups and organizations that differ in their strategies, priorities and interpretation…
Realpolitik and the Syrian Conflict
Following the liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in 1991, the international coalition participating in Operation Desert Storm had the opportunity to decisively end the rule of Saddam Hussein. Yet based on considerations of realpolitik, the coalition decided to stop short of delivering a knockout blow to Saddam’s…
A Conversation with Diwan – Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Why Kabul Has an Echo in Idlib Azzam Al Kassir is a Syrian researcher based in London. He holds a Ph.D. in Politics from Birkbeck,University of London and a Master’s degree in Middle East politics from the University of Exeter. His research interests lie in the study of Salafi-Jihadism and its recent ideological and strategic transformations. Diwan interviewed…
Empower Syrians Not Warlords: Against the re-branding of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
by Azzam Al Kassir and Rahaf Aldoughli A slate of recent papers and policy briefings have advised Western governments to reverse their designation of the Syrian group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a terrorist organization. Such questionable policy recommendations are usually justified by arguing that HTS, under the leadership of Abu Muhammad al-Jolani,…
Can the Syrian regime regain Idlib militarily? An Interview with KCCRC
KCCRC interviewed Dr Azzam Al Kassir in mid-November. Al Kassir is a Syrian researcher based in London. He holds a PhD in Politics from the Department of Politics at Birkbeck, University of London, and a master’s degree in Middle East politics from the University of Exeter. His research…
Azzam Al Kassir 