Patrick Haenni

How did a jihadi group transform into the movement rebuilding Syria after Assad? In December 2024, to global astonishment, former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a coalition to overthrow the Syrian regime. This fascinating account unravels HTS's dramatic transformation since 2019, from a besieged insurgent enclave to a conservative Islamist government. Drawing on interviews with HTS leaders including...