| Summary: | This paper examines security in Syria through the
conceptual lens of the security gap, understood as the gap between security practices
and objectives which have implications for individual and collective security. Practices
of security can be the state apparatus, the military, and militias. The objective –
safety – can refer to the safety or security of a range of collectives including the
state, political parties, and ethnic groups, while individual security refers to the
general safety of inhabitants and the protection of human rights. This paper compares
the security situation in so-called ‘rebel-held’ areas of Syria where alternative
governance structures have emerged, examining the security approaches of Local
Administrative Councils and Rebel Councils in Deir Azzor, Manbij, Dera, and areas
dominated by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). It argues that security and
safety are strongly influenced by authority formation and the nature of deals and
relationships involved in the formation of these nascent authorities. It also argues
that security in these areas is strongly influenced by the Syrian government, which
disrupts collectives that threaten its own collective security while giving limited
support to those which serve its agenda of retaining power. It also demonstrates the
limited utility of the ‘regime’ vs. ‘rebel-held’ dichotomy, as rebel groups at times
must accommodate the Syrian state in limited ways for instrumental purposes. The article
is based on fieldwork conducted in Turkey in 2013–2014, interviews conducted in 2015,
and secondary sources based on field research.
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