From Freedom Fighters to Jihadists: Human Resources of Non State Armed Groups

— —

Vera Mironova (International Security Fellow, Belfer Center, International Security Fellow, Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School)

From Freedom Fighters to Jihadists

Human Resources of Non State Armed Groups

Vera Mironova (International Security Fellow, Belfer Center, International Security Fellow, Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School)

$102.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press Inc
01 July 2019

Social, group or collective psychology; Political ideologies; International relations; Irregular or guerrilla forces & warfare

Series: Causes and Consequences of Terrorism

At the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, thousands of pro-democracy rebel groups spontaneously formed to fight the Assad regime. Years later, the revolution was unrecognizable as rebel opposition forces had merged into three major groups: Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al Sham, and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Why did these three groups rapidly increase in size and military strength while others simply disappeared? What is it about their organizational structure and their Islamist ideology that helped group manage their fighters so successfully?

With these questions at the forefront, this book examines the internal organization of armed groups and, in particular, their human resources.

Analyzing the growth of these groups through the prism of a labor market theory, this book shows that extreme Islamist groups were able to attract fighters away from more

moderate groups because they had better internal organization, took better care of fighters both physically and monetarily,

experienced less internal corruption, and effectively used their Islamist ideology to control recruits. With unparalleled access and extensive ethnographic research drawn from her interviews and her year embedded with Iraqi Special Operation forces, Mironova delves deep into the ideological and practical nexus of some of the most radical groups in the Middle East. This book brings together more than 600 survey-interviews with local civilians and fighters on the frontline in Syria and a dataset of human resource policies from 40 armed groups; it is an invaluable resource for anyone who wants insight into the on the ground functioning of rebel organizations.

By: Vera Mironova (International Security Fellow Belfer Center International Security Fellow Belfer Center Harvard Kennedy School)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 233mm, Width: 155mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 492g
ISBN: 9780190939762
ISBN 10: 0190939761
Series: Causes and Consequences of Terrorism
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 01 July 2019
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Vera Mironova is Visiting Fellow at Harvard University. She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Maryland and for three years was an International Security Fellow at the Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Dr. Mironova, whose research explores individual level behavior in conflict environments, has conducted fieldwork in numerous active conflict zones and post-conflict regions all over the world, and from 2016 to 2017, she was embedded with Iraqi Special Operations Forces during the Mosul Operation. Her scholarship has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, Foreign Policy, BBC, and The Boston Globe. She has also served as a commentator for a number of major media outlets, including The New York Times, the Associated Press, Washington Post, and Vice News.

Reviews for From Freedom Fighters to Jihadists: Human Resources of Non State Armed Groups

Based on rich first-hand knowledge, Mironova analyses several armed groups, such as al-Nusra and ISIS, ranging from powerful ones with a large member base to groups that only survived a few months. The findings are quite convincing. The book is an incredibly useful resource for understanding the rational decision-making processes of actors in a civil war. -- The Journal of Peace Research