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The Syrian conflict began in 2011 as a mass uprising, with protesters gathering in one small town after the next to demand the end of a 40-year dictatorship. It quickly morphed into a complex and internationalized multi-sided war. Much of the analysis of proxy conflict in Syria has focused on the interests and influence of external sponsors. In a new report based on research in Syria, Anand Gopal and Jeremy Hodge argue in their new report “Social Networks, Class, and the Syrian Proxy War” that the pre-war social structure of Syria rather than the influence of external sponsors was the key determinant in the conflict’s trajectory. The pre-existing social networks and class statuses of factions determined which ones would predominate in the civil war. These factors whether factions could align with international sponsors and the extent of control sponsors could wield over their “proxies.”

To discuss this topic and the new report, �鶹������ý welcomes Anand Gopal, Jeremy Hodge, and Elizabeth Tsurkov. Anand Gopal is a fellow with �鶹������ý’s International Security program, assistant research professor at the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and the Center on the Future of War, and received his PhD from Columbia University. Jeremy Hodge is an investigative journalist. He has conducted research on Egypt’s automotive sector for the Center for International Development at Harvard University and previously served as Editor of the Yemen Times Newspaper and Radio in Sana’a, Yemen. Elizabeth Tsurkov is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Newlines Institute and a doctoral student in the Politics department at Princeton University whose research focuses on the Levant, and particularly, the Syrian uprising and civil war.

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Participants:

Dr. Anand Gopal,
Author, “Social Networks, Class, and the Syrian Proxy War”
Fellow, �鶹������ý International Security program
Research Professor, Center on the Future of War, Arizona State University

Jeremy Hodge,
Author, “Social Networks, Class, and the Syrian Proxy War”

Elizabeth Tsurkov,
Non-resident fellow, Newlines Institute

Moderator:

David Sterman,
Senior Policy Analyst, �鶹������ý International Security program