Violent Non-state Actors and the Syrian Civil War

1. Reframing and Reassessing the VNSAs in Syrian Conflict: An Introduction
Özden Zeynep Oktav, Emel Parlar Dal, Ali Murat Kurşun

Part I. Actorness

2. Contested Geographies: How ISIS and YPG Rule “No-Go” Areas in Northern Syria
H. Akın Ünver

3. Making Sense of the Territorial Aspirations of ISIS: Autonomy, Representation, and Influence
Hakan Mehmetcik, Ali Murat Kurşun

4. How to Profile PYD/YPG as an Actor in the Syrian Civil War: Policy Implications for the Region and Beyond
Özlem Kayhan Pusane

5. The Assistance Front Versus the Popular Protection Units Versus the Islamic State: Reciprocal Mobilization and the Ascendance of Violent Non-state Actors in the Syrian Civil War
Fred H. Lawson

Part II. Powerfulness

6. ISIS as an Actor Controlling Water Resources in Syria and Iraq
İbrahim Mazlum

Part III. Effectiveness

7. Surrogate Warfare in Syria and the Pitfalls of Diverging US Attitudes Toward ISIS and PYD/YPG
Helin Sarı Ertem

8. External Actors and VNSAs: An Analysis of the United States, Russia, ISIS, and PYD/YPG
Doruk Ergun

9. The EU’s Stance Toward VNSAs During the Syrian Crisis: YPG and ISIS Cases
Yonca Özer, Fatmanur Kaçar

10. Understanding Iran’s Approach to Violent Non-state Actors: The ISIS and YPG Cases
Özden Zeynep Oktav

11. The Contagion of the Syrian Civil War into Turkey Under the Impact of ISIS and YPG Cases: Conditioning Factors and Diffusion Mechanisms
Emel Parlar Dal

Nyckelord: Political Science and International Relations, Terrorism and Political Violence, Middle Eastern Politics, International Humanitarian Law, Law of Armed Conflict, Conflict Studies, International Security Studies