000319301 001__ 319301 000319301 005__ 20240904034315.0 000319301 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1080/1057610X.2024.2398662 000319301 037__ $$aARTICLE 000319301 245__ $$aCan Jihadis’ strategic interests trump their ideology?$$bforeign support and insurgent survival in Syria 000319301 269__ $$a2024 000319301 336__ $$aJournal Articles 000319301 520__ $$aThe role of ideology in civil wars is particularly contentious, especially when it comes to Jihadi insurgents. Ideology is one of these groups’ defining characteristic, which questions what happens when Jihadis’ ideological commitments contradicts their strategic interests. This article explores these tensions with a particular focus on the issue of foreign support for the Syrian insurgency after 2011. The article argues that ideology matters and has contributed to division and infighting between Syrian insurgents for most of the conflict. But this research also contends that armed groups – including Jihadis – can adapt their ideological positions in line with their strategic interests as long as they manage to implement such changes without jeopardizing their internal cohesion. This careful balance explains the operational strategies of numerous armed groups in competitive environments such as Syria’s. The article draws on extensive interviews with Syrian insurgents over the past few years, including leaders and commanders of Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra as it transformed into HTS. 000319301 542__ $$fOpen access article, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence$$uhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ 000319301 580__ $$aIn: Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. - 2024, pages 1-22 000319301 6531_ $$aPeace, War and Conflict$$0319135 000319301 6531_ $$aReligion$$0319136 000319301 700__ $$aDrevon, Jerome 000319301 8564_ $$99f36e7ca-ec2e-4f06-b327-b87ab1b3296e$$s1698163$$uhttps://repository.graduateinstitute.ch/record/319301/files/Can%20Jihadis%20Strategic%20Interests%20Trump%20Their%20Ideology%20Foreign%20Support%20and%20Insurgent%20Survival%20in%20Syria.pdf 000319301 909CO $$ooai:repository.graduateinstitute.ch:319301$$pGLOBAL_SET$$pIHEID:Explore 000319301 981__ $$aoverwrite