Measuring ‘state-diffusion’ in post-conflict authoritarian Syria evidence from the 2021 public opinion survey
Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The Syrian conflict was characterized by intense political contestation and violent clashes among various actors with contrasting views of statehood, a phenomenon termed ‘state-diffusion’. Within this landscape, Islamists, Kurdish separatists, and Ba'thists embody distinct perceptions of the Syrian state and nation. This study aims to measure the extent of “state-diffusion” in post-conflict Syria by exploring the outcomes of an independent public opinion survey. Specifically, it focuses on Syrians’ acceptance/rejection of the Assad regime by comparing regions that witnessed significant conflict-induced leadership changes with those that did not. The results reveal that regions under opposition’s governance exhibit a higher tendency towards ‘state-diffusion’; indicating a leaning towards rejecting the Syrian state-building and national unity initiated by the Assad regime. This rejection seemingly stems from the emergence of an alternative state and nation distinct from the existing Syrian nation-state. However, Assad’s legitimacy was more likely to be recognized in regions where the regime regained control after the conflict, perhaps due to their bitter experience of the devastating war and prolonged political turmoil. Thus, the ‘victory’ of the Assad regime does not necessarily promise the end of the conflict. Syrians are having a difficult time accommodating the resurgence of ‘Suriyya al-Asad’ or ‘Authoritarian Conflict Management’, leaving concerns about the future of political stability.
Source: Mediterranean Politics
Author: Kota Suechika
Institution: Ritsumeikan University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: Resurgent Islamic Jurisprudence and New Trends in Politics and Economics in Contemporary Islam: The Main Stream Confronting the Extreme, Comparative Study on Trans Border Activities of Non-state Armed Actors in the Middle East, Empirical Studies on Social Resilience of the Arab Mashriq States in Crises: A Case of Jordan, State Transformation in Historical Syria: Towards New Middle Eastern Area Studies with Mixed Methods, Protest on the Street, and Reconsider the Nation: from the view points of space, violence and resonance, 政治体制としての代議制民主主義の現状と可能性ー東地中海地域の事例から
OpenAlex ID: W4389680293