Confronting the Caliphate

When jihadist groups establish their own governance and proto-states, they, at least to some extent, rely on the acquiescence of the civilians under their control. Therefore, civilians are not only victims of jihadist groups' coercive control over them.Rather, they are also agents of change and sometimes provide fundamental challenges to the jihadists' governance attempts. As we demonstrate in this book, civilians in Mali, Iraq, Algeria and Syria have engaged in various forms of civil resistance against jihadist groups, including the refusal to cooperate, the participation in public protests, and various forms of more covert everyday resistance. Exploring civil resistance against jihadist groups, the book not only studies the conditions under which it occurs. It also examines in which forms civil resistance against jihadist groups has taken shape. It explores who amongst the civilians living in areas governed by jihadist groups chooses to resist them. Moreover, it studies the conditions under which such civil resistance against jihadist groups can be successful. Confronting the Caliphate is a comprehensive study of this topic, based on original research from surveys in Mosul, disaggregated data on protests across communities in Syria, as well as a comparative analysis of Mali, Iraq, and Yemen, and accounts of resistance in Algeria. Confronting the Caliphate clearly shows that civil resistance is not only possible, but that it is much more prevalent than what has been previously assumed. While the rule of jihadist groups presents civilians with some of the most difficult and dangerous circumstances for engaging in civil resistance, this book demonstrates how civilians can nonetheless nonviolently, and successfully, resist jihadists--