Violent Non-state Actors and the Syrian Civil War: The ISIS and YPG Cases

235 Pages·2018·2.62 MB·English

by  Özden Zeynep Oktav

Özden Zeynep Oktav · Emel Parlar Dal
Ali Murat Kurşun Editors
Violent Non-state
Actors and the
Syrian Civil War
The ISIS and YPG Cases
Violent Non-state Actors and the Syrian Civil War
¨
Ozden Zeynep Oktav (cid:129) Emel Parlar Dal (cid:129)
Ali Murat Kurs¸un
Editors
Violent Non-state Actors
and the Syrian Civil War
The ISIS and YPG Cases
Editors
O¨zdenZeynepOktav EmelParlarDal
FacultyofPoliticalSciences FacultyofPoliticalSciences
InternationalRelationsDepartment InternationalRelationsDepartment
IstanbulMedeniyetUniversity MarmaraUniversity
Istanbul,Turkey Istanbul,Turkey
AliMuratKurs¸un
FacultyofPoliticalSciences
InternationalRelationsDepartment
MarmaraUniversity
Istanbul,Turkey
ISBN978-3-319-67527-5 ISBN978-3-319-67528-2 (eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-67528-2
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017955952
©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2018
Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpartof
the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or
dissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexempt
fromtherelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse.
Thepublisher,theauthorsandtheeditorsaresafetoassumethattheadviceandinformationinthis
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained
hereinor for anyerrors oromissionsthat may havebeenmade. Thepublisher remainsneutralwith
regardtojurisdictionalclaimsinpublishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations.
Printedonacid-freepaper
ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbySpringerNature
TheregisteredcompanyisSpringerInternationalPublishingAG
Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:Gewerbestrasse11,6330Cham,Switzerland
Testimonials
This timely volume by regional scholars and experts examines various aspects of
theemergenceandexpansionofviolentnon-stateactorsintheSyrian/Iraqiconflict.
The wealth of detail and approaches enhances our understanding of the transfor-
mationanddynamicsofcontemporaryconflictswithinandbeyondtheregion.
KeithKrause
TheGraduateInstitute,Geneva
Thisvolumecontainsawealthofusefulinformationonviolentnon-stateactors
in the Syrian conflict and their transnational dimensions and consequences and
helps situate the Syrian experiences in a broader comparative and theoretical
perspective.
KristianSkredeGleditsch
UniversityofEssex&PeaceResearchInstituteOslo(PRIO)
This book is an excellent resource for those looking for an interdisciplinary
accountofVNSAsduringtheSyriancivilwar.Itmakesanicecontributiontothe
studyofviolentnon-stateactorsandposesasetofnewandpressingquestions.
MaxAbrahms
NortheasternUniversity
Thisbookmakesavaluablecontributionbothtotheliteratureonterrorismand
insurgencyandtothemeasuresandeffortsneededtomosteffectivelycounterthem.
OmarAshour
UniversityofExeter
Thisvolumemarksamajorcontributionbyanalyzingthedifferencesintheaims
andnatureofviolentnon-stateactorslikeISISandtheKurdishYPG,inhowthey
operate,andespeciallyinthewaysmajorandrisingpowersrelatetothem.
CharlesT.Call
SchoolofInternationalServiceatAmericanUniversity,Washington,DC
This book opens fascinating glimpses into contrasting forms of “state-like”
governance established by non-state actors, ISIS and the Kurdish PYD. [...] It is
v
vi Testimonials
animportantsourceforstudentsoftheSyrianconflict,civilwars,failedstatesand
hybridgovernance.
RaymondHinnebusch
DirectorCentreforSyrianStudies,UniversityofSt.Andrews
Contents
ReframingandReassessingtheVNSAsinSyrianConflict:An
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
O¨zdenZeynepOktav,EmelParlarDal,andAliMuratKurs¸un
PartI Actorness
ContestedGeographies:HowISISandYPGRule“No-Go”Areas
inNorthernSyria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
H.AkınU¨nver
MakingSenseoftheTerritorialAspirationsofISIS:Autonomy,
Representation,andInfluence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
HakanMehmetcikandAliMuratKurs¸un
HowtoProfilePYD/YPGasanActorintheSyrianCivilWar:
PolicyImplicationsfortheRegionandBeyond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
O¨zlemKayhanPusane
TheAssistanceFrontVersusthePopularProtectionUnits
VersustheIslamicState:ReciprocalMobilizationandtheAscendance
ofViolentNon-stateActorsintheSyrianCivilWar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
FredH.Lawson
PartII Powerfulness
ISISasanActorControllingWaterResourcesinSyriaandIraq. . . . 109
I˙brahimMazlum
vii
viii Contents
PartIII Effectiveness
SurrogateWarfareinSyriaandthePitfallsofDivergingUS
AttitudesTowardISISandPYD/YPG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
HelinSarıErtem
ExternalActorsandVNSAs:AnAnalysisoftheUnitedStates,
Russia,ISIS,andPYD/YPG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
DorukErgun
TheEU’sStanceTowardVNSAsDuringtheSyrianCrisis:
YPGandISISCases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
YoncaO¨zerandFatmanurKac¸ar
UnderstandingIran’sApproachtoViolentNon-stateActors:
TheISISandYPGCases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
O¨zdenZeynepOktav
TheContagionoftheSyrianCivilWarintoTurkeyUnder
theImpactofISISandYPGCases:ConditioningFactors
andDiffusionMechanisms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
EmelParlarDal
Reframing and Reassessing the VNSAs
in Syrian Conflict: An Introduction
€
OzdenZeynepOktav,EmelParlarDal,andAliMuratKurs¸un
In September 2014, the small northern Syrian city of Kobane became a battle-
ground between the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the People’s
Protection Units (Yekˆıneyeˆn Parastina Gel-YPG). The city was surrounded by
ISISfighters,resultinginamassivecivilianmovementtowardthenearbyTurkish
border. However, back in September 2014, it would have been considered only a
distantpossibilitythattheeventstakingplaceinKobanewouldchangethefateof
theSyrianwarfornotonlythesetwomajorviolentnon-stateactors(VNSAs)that
have emerged from the ongoing Syrian conflict but also for regional and inter-
national actors engaged both diplomatically and militarily in the conflict. The
events in Kobane also led to the crystallization of divergences between regional
and major powers in their methods and use of local actors in their fight against
ISIS.Ithassincebecomemoreapparentthattheexistingantagonismsanddiffering
territorialobjectivesbetweenISISandtheYPGhavethepotentialtobeexploited
by major actors, particularly the United States infurther stages ofthe crisis.
FourmonthsofintensecombatbetweentheYPGandISISinKobanealsolaid
bare what will be an important legacy of the civil war for the future of Middle
Eastern politics in general and Syria in particular: the consolidation of violent
non-stateactorsasactiveplayersontheground.Althoughitisirrefutablethatthe
courseoftheSyriancivilwarhasbeenmarkedbytheproliferationofvariousarmed
actors,the2014KobanebattlegroundrevealedtheneedtoreconsiderVNSAsfrom
ananalyticalandcomprehensivepointofview.First,September2014showedthat
O¨.Z.Oktav
FacultyofPoliticalSciences,InternationalRelationsDepartment,IstanbulMedeniyet
University,Istanbul,Turkey
e-mail:[email protected]
E.ParlarDal(*)•A.M.Kurs¸un
FacultyofPoliticalSciences,InternationalRelationsDepartment,MarmaraUniversity,
Istanbul,Turkey
e-mail:[email protected];[email protected]
©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2018 1
O¨.Z.Oktavetal.(eds.),ViolentNon-stateActorsandtheSyrianCivilWar,
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-67528-2_1
2 O¨.Z.Oktavetal.
theconflictinSyriaisnotonlyabouttheconflictbetweentheregimeandopposition
groupsbutalsobetweenVNSAs,eachofwhichisreadytofightfortheircausesand
diverging political agendas. Second, it was only after the Kobane events that the
strugglesoftheVNSAsinSyriabegantobeunderstoodintheirlocalandregional-
globalinteractioncontexts.TheSyriancivilwarhasalsoproventhatthediffering
strategiesandprioritiesofactorsinvolvedintheSyrianpicturemayendupeither
generatingadditionaltensionsamongthemselvesorestablishingadhoccoalitions
ontheshiftinggroundsoftheconflict.Third,theKobaneeventsalsodemonstrated
thatISISandtheYPGrepresentanewwaveofMiddleEasternVNSAs.Thisnew
wave is marked by their hybrid characteristics, differing scopes, strategies, and
tacticsintermsofgeopolitics,sovereignty,andinteractionswiththelocalgovern-
ment and regional and major powers when compared to the previous waves of
Middle Eastern VNSAs such as the jihadist Al-Qaeda and the Marxist-ethnic
nationalist PKK. Although initially portrayed as loose networks, VNSAs can act
as solid geopolitical actors impacting the various calculus of both major and
regional powers with regard the ongoing Syrian war. These three interconnected
rationalesdrivetheinquiryraisedinthisbookproject.
VNSAsintheMiddleEasterncontextarestillanunderstudiedandweaklyexplored
fieldofresearchdespitetheexistenceofagrowingliteratureonthetopic,particularlyon
ISIS,inrecentyears.Inthefaceofthe6-yearSyriancivilwar,VNSAshaveemergedas
an important topic in both the conflict/security and IR fields due to their changing
nature,hybridmilitarystrategies,andshiftinggeopoliticsvis-(cid:2)a-visstateauthorityand
neighboringstates.TheSyriancivilwargavebirthtoawiderangeofnewgeneration
VNSAs,amongwhichISISandtheYPGarethemostvisibleintermsoftheirspatiality,
developedsocializationnetworks,newformsofsovereigntychallengingthelegitimacy
ofthetraditionalnation-state,andnewsecuritythreatsandviolence.
Giventhisbackground,ISISasaglobalrevolutionarynonethnicVNSAandthe
YPGasanethnicandnationalistVNSAneedtobefurtheranalyzedintermsoftheir
goals, connections with the nation-state, other VNSAs acting on the ground and
strategiesofwarfare,aswellasthechangingconditionscatalyzingtheircontagion
to other regions and states. Based on this, this book intends to present a compre-
hensive approach tothe conceptualandempirical studyofcontemporaryVNSAs.
In doing so, it will first attempt to produce a more integrated conceptual classifi-
cationofVNSAs,borrowingfrompreviousclassificationsmadebydifferentconflict
scholars,andwillthentrytoofferacomprehensiveportraitofISISandtheYPGas
the new generation of VNSAs. Second, the focus will shift to the specificities of
ISISandtheYPGwhichmakethemdifferentfrompreviousVNSAsintheMiddle
East.Here,athree-layeredframeworkofactorness,powerfulness,andeffectiveness
will be employed in order to position these two actors in the Middle Eastern and
Syrian contexts and to assess their distinctive characteristics and behaviors
distinguishingthemfromtheoldgenerationVNSAs.Third,thebookwillexplore
howtheactorness,powerfulness,andeffectivenessofISISandtheYPGhavebeen
constructed and reconstructed within the deepening Syrian civil war. Finally, the
book’sfocuswillshifttohowglobalandregionalactorshaveenvisagedtheriseof
these two new VNSAs and thus attempts to grasp their converging and diverging
approachesandstrategiestowardthegroupsinthecontextoftheSyriancivilwar.