The study “The Rule of Law as a Foundation and Prerequisite for Building a Modern Nation-State” directs readers to “Power Centers in the Syrian Army” for changes in military structure, in a note on page 41.
The Rambøll report, commissioned by Denmark’s Ministry of Immigration and Integration, cites “Drain Society, Feed the Military” in a fact box on military-service obligations and their financial consequences in Syria.
In a March study, Muhsen al-Mustafa, a researcher for the Carnegie Middle East Center, stated that “every single one of the top 40 posts in the Syrian armed forces was held by a member of President Assad’s Alawite sect.” He added, “The entire Syrian military is not built on one particular sect. But in recent years the institution has been characterized by an unprecedented degree of sectarianism.
The article links “Power Centers in the Syrian Army 2020: A Sectarian Approach” and discusses its findings on the sectarian and regional distribution of senior posts.
The doctoral thesis draws on “The Selective Return of Syrian Refugees” to discuss directing refugee returns and humanitarian aid toward regime-held areas, and the use of aid in bargaining strategies during the Syrian conflict.
Lucas Winter’s analysis reproduces an earlier statement by Muhsen ALMustafa in a translated excerpt from an Al Jazeera report published on 11 February 2025. The statement addresses a possible expansion of Turkey’s military presence in Syria, within a discussion of Turkish-Syrian defense ties and their regional implications.
