References PRIF Spotlight 03/2026
More Gradualism than Shock? Observations on how Syria’s New Islamist Rulers Are Building a State
by Regine Schwab, Ammar Hassan and Samer Massoud | To the publication
1 Pfeifer, Hanna, and Regine Schwab. 2023. ‘Politicising the Rebel Governance Paradigm. Critical Appraisal and Expansion of a Research Agenda’. Small Wars & Insurgencies 34 (1): 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592318.2022.2144000
2 Thaler, Kai M. 2025. When Rebels Win: Ideology, Statebuilding, and Power after Civil Wars. Cornell University Press.
3 The province of Quneitra - containing the Israeli-occupied Golan heights - is practically also outside Syrian state control as it witnesses regularly Israeli incursions.
4 Jaysh al-Fath consisted of the most important rebel groups at that time, most prominently HTS’s predecessor Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, Faylaq al-Sham, and Jund al-Aqsa. This rebel coalition conquered nearly all remaining regime territories in Idlib province and adjacent areas.
5 Schwab, Regine. 2023. ‘Competitive Rebel Governance in Syria’. In Rebel Governance in the Middle East, edited by Ibrahim Freihat and Abdalhadi Alijla. Palgrave MacMillan. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-99-1335-0_5
6 https://www.faz.net/pro/weltwirtschaft/weltwissen/syrien-wie-sich-hts-finanziert-110215906.html
7 Al-Sharaa’s brothers took up senior posts in the transitional government. https://www.skynewsarabia.com/middle-east/1830832-%D8%A7%D9%94%D8%B4%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%94%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8E%D8%A8
8 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRMXpKsAWpI/?igsh=NHV5cTRzajduMGZq
9 https://syrianobserver.com/society/female-staff-only-municipal-decision-sparks-gender-segregation-debate-in-damascus-countryside.html https://www.france24.com/ar/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%B7/20250610-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%B6-%D8%B6%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B7-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B3-%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%A6-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AD