The Syrian uprising: between peaceful protest and state failure

This introductory chapter explicates the focus of the book, the “middle period of the uprising.” It was a period of key junctures or turning points, notably the failure of non-violent uprising to lead to democratization; of armed insurgency to effect revolution from below, and of counter-insurgency to restore regime control. It was a period when the consequences of the uprising became apparent: failed statehood, rebel governance, societal polarization, notably along sectarian lines; the intervention of external actors exacerbating the conflict and establishing zones of influence; the emergence of a war economy; and massive displacement of the population.