The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria

Description

Having played a role in every iteration of Syrian politics since the country gained independence in 1946, the Muslim Brotherhood were the most prominent opposition group in Syria on the eve of the 2011 uprising. But when unrest broke out in March 2011, few Brotherhood flags and slogans were to be found within the burgeoning protest movement. Drawing on extensive primary research including interviews with Brotherhood members, Dara Conduit looks to the group's history to understand why it failed to capitalise on this advantage as the conflict unfolded, addressing significant gaps in accounts of the group's past to assess whether its reputation for violence and dogmatism is justified. In doing so, Conduit reveals a party that was neither as violent nor as undemocratic as expected, but whose potential to stage a long-awaited comeback was hampered by the shadow of its own history.

Dara Conduit is Associate Research Fellow in the Middle East Studies Forum at the Alfred Deakin Institute, Deakin University, Victoria. She was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge, is a board member of the Syrian Studies Association and has provided advice to the UN OHCHR's Working Group on Mercenaries. Author of articles in The Middle East Journal, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism and Journal of Contemporary China, she gained her M.Litt. from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and her Ph.D. from Monash University where her thesis was a finalist for the Terrorism Research Institute's annual thesis award.

'The Muslim Brotherhood [in Syria] is essential reading, not merely because of the comprehensive and thoroughly researched history it provides, but because of its thematic approach to explaining its subject-matter's behavior ... Dara Conduit has produced a timely and brilliantly written book on a critical actor in Syria.' Sam Biasi, International Affairs 'Dara Conduit's meticulous and insightful study is crucial for understanding the Brotherhood's history and its trajectory since 2011. It is essential reading for all those interested in Islamist movements in the Arab world, and a significant contribution to the literature on contemporary Syrian politics.' Steven Heydemann, Professor of Middle East Studies, Smith College, Massachusetts 'This book provides an invaluable insight into the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and shrewdly places its recent role in the Syrian conflict in context. Conduit has done a great service in authoring this indispensable guide.' Charles Lister, Senior Fellow and Director of Countering Terrorism & Extremism, Middle East Institute 'Dara Conduit dissects the fascinating history of a group that has emerged as the great survivor of Syrian politics, wriggling its way through parliamentary rule, dictatorship, exile, and war - forever locked out of power, forever seeking a new way in.' Aron Lund, Fellow, The Century Foundation