"A friend in need: The impact of the Syrian civil war on Syria’s client" by Ora Szekely
 

Political Science

A friend in need: The impact of the Syrian civil war on Syria’s clients (A principal–agent approach)

Document Type

Article

Abstract

When a regional sponsor of militant movements experiences profound domestic instability, what happens to its clients? This paper explores this question by examining the case of Syria and its clients using a principal– agent approach. It examines three types of principal—single, collective, and multiple—focusing on the varying effects that these relationships have on the agents involved and arguing that each type of principal presents prospective agents with a trade-off between a loss of autonomy and a loss of internal cohesion. By comparing the effects of Syrian sponsorship on nonstate actors who have served as Syrian agents at various points in the evolution of the regime, I demonstrate that each type of principal has distinct advantages and risks for its agents. The paper concludes by outlining five possible outcomes of the current uprising in Syria for the Asad regime’s clients, based on the uprising’s impact on the regime as a principal.

Publication Title

Foreign Policy Analysis

Publication Date

7-2016

Volume

12

Issue

3

First Page

450

Last Page

468

ISSN

1743-8586

DOI

10.1111/fpa.12069

Keywords

Syria, principal-agent, Asad regime

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