Publication

This commentary discusses the implications of the increasing strength of Islamist factions among the rebel groups in Syria. The author describes the main phases of the Syrian uprising, from a peaceful protest movement against the Assad regime in 2011, to a civil war with high levels of rebel infighting in 2014. He then describes the main insurgent groups and the tensions between them, which he argues have led to an improvement in Assad’s position. He concludes by examining the consequences of these developments for German policies towards Syria.