Transformed by the People: Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham’s Road to Power in Syria

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 Ahmad al-Sharaa himself--as well as diplomats, dissidents and opponents--the authors reveal the group’s pragmatic evolution while ruling Idlib province, in the face of global and local constraints. They uncover how HTS approached religious minorities, redefined its understanding of sharia, and embraced a non-radical conservative society. HTS reshaped its identity not only in northwest Syria, but on the world stage, aligning with NATO member and secular republic Turkey, confronting both al-Qaeda and Islamic State, and marginalizing die-hards in its own ranks, in favor of a popular, mosque-based Islam.

This book offers a glimpse into HTS’s startling journey, blending frontline narratives with sharp analysis to decode the group’s success in outmaneuvering the regime and mapping its own path to power.

Patrick Haenni PhD specialises in social movements and the state in the Middle East. Jerome Drevon PhD is Senior Analyst in Jihad and Modern Conflict at the International Crisis Group and a research associate at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Both have spent many years carrying out on-the-ground research in Syria.