From rebel leaders to post-war intermediaries : evidence from Southern Syria

Abstract

This article investigates the distinct pathways and roles played by former rebel leaders in conditions of conflict transformation. Focusing on southern Syria, it offers a comparative analysis of the mediation undertaken by remobilised and demobilised rebel leaders to articulate the concerns and demands of local communities to state officials in the aftermath of insurgency. Drawing on multiple waves of fieldwork conducted in southern Syria between June 2018 and December 2023, it illustrates how factors such as legitimacy and effectiveness have shaped civilian preferences to engage with external powers through intermediaries. Furthermore, it reveals the underlying factors that shaped the diverse state approaches to rebels-turned-intermediaries, ranging from pragmatic collaboration to outright marginalisation.