CTC Sentinel
Click here for a PDFAbout the CTC Sentinel
The Sentinel is a monthly, independent publication that leverages the Center’s global network of scholars and practitioners to understand and confront contemporary threats posed by terrorism and other forms of political violence.
Most Recent CTC Sentinel | Volume 5, Issue 4 (April 2012)
Published by Combating Terrorism Center
Cover Story Overview
An Overview of Syria’s Armed Revolution
By Derek Henry Flood
Since the start of the Syrian uprising on March 15, 2011, it has morphed from largely peaceful mass street protests to the current climate where parts of the country are engaged in armed conflict pitting the Free Syrian Army (FSA) against the Alawite-dominated security forces of President Bashar al-Assad. This article asserts that the FSA is foremost a national liberation movement determined to overthrow the al-Assad regime through a war of attrition. The FSA would prefer a rapid paced revolution, but as the prospect for an external military intervention evaporated over the course of the past year, the rebels have had to be self-reliant while hoping for touted help from individual nation-states. The FSA sees a campaign of protracted warfare coupled with an increase in military defections as its only realistic way forward. The isolation and unanticipated duration of the conflict has led to increased sectarianism in Syria, encouraged regional powers aligned with President Bashar al-Assad to grant him support, and kept the conflict a highly asymmetrical one as the outgunned FSA continues to battle well-armed, pro-regime forces.
In This Issue
CTC Sentinel Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Erich Marquardt
Senior Editor, CTC
Editorial Board
COL Michael J. Meese, Ph.D.
Department Head
Department of Social Sciences (West Point)
COL Cindy R. Jebb, Ph.D.
Deputy Department Head
Department of Social Sciences (West Point)
LTC Liam Collins
Executive Director, CTC
Submission Guidelines
The CTC Sentinel is a monthly publication that seeks to provide understanding of contemporary threats posed by terrorism and other forms of political violence. The CTC Sentinel welcomes unsolicited submissions and article pitches. Prospective contributors should review the CTC Sentinel's archives to acquire context on the topics of interest to the journal.
Submissions should be between 1500-2000 words. Footnotes are not included in the word count. All submissions should be sent with the author's contact information, as well as the author's relevant experience and recent publications. The CTC Sentinel will assume that the submission is being offered exclusively and has not been published in any form elsewhere.
Submissions should be mailed to sentinel@usma.edu.
