How Do Terrorist Organizations Survive?: The Syrian Conflict and Its Impact on Recruitment Structures

• In Event: Joining and Recruiting Terrorists

Abstract

The Syrian conflict paved the way for the rise of ISIS and al Qaeda linked groups, which have been successful with recruitment, financing, and propaganda and once became critical players in a vacuum left by failed states. With their capacity to inspire violence elsewhere in the world, they have become a global challenge.

The experiences that ISIS and al Qaeda linked groups have acquired throughout the conflicts in Iraq and Syria provided them with the ability to reestablish their recruitment, financing, and propaganda networks.

The purpose of this presentation is to look into the question of how terrorist organizations survive by establishing networks through sub-communities, former and current foreign fighters, local recruiters, entities, such as front organizations, and alike. Secondly, the presentation will discuss some of the findings from a research, titled "Countering Violent Extremism by Unraveling the Recruitment and Propaganda Activities of ISIS." Finally, the presentation will discuss the impact of the Syrian conflict on the state and non-state actors and emerging/re-emerging of violent extremist groups with various ideologies.

Suleyman Ozeren, Ph.D.
Adjunct Faculty & Research Scholar
Department of Criminology, Law, and Society & Center for Global Policy
George Mason University

Author

• Suleyman Ozeren, George Mason University