Constructing state, territory, and sovereignty in the Syrian conflict
| Published date | 01 August 2019 |
| Date | 01 August 2019 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0263395718770348 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0263395718770348
Politics
2019, Vol. 39(3) 332 –346
© The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/0263395718770348
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Constructing state, territory,
and sovereignty in the Syrian
conflict
Mustafa Menshawy
Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Qatar; University of Westminster, London
Abstract
The article argues that sovereignty claims and counterclaims are still very much at work in
international and civil conflicts involving state actors. Focusing on the case of the Syrian conflict, the
article engages in methodological triangulation using Critical Discourse Analysis and international
relations theories. It finds that the sovereignty-first narrative adopted by Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad’s regime, and its external allies such as Russia, has built an ‘effective’ discourse that has
been adopted in a coherent, consistent, and resonant manner, as well as a ‘credible’ discourse
which combined words with actions (i.e. performatives and constatives of sovereignty). The
effectiveness and credibility of the sovereignty-first narrative is also judged by the absence of
effective and credible contending narratives demonstrated by the tepid application of concepts
like the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) by the United States and its European allies. In making
these comparisons, the Syrian conflict can be contextualised by relating it to the Arab Spring
and geopolitical shifts in international affairs. It is within this contextualisation that the article
demonstrates broader claims about the endurance of the ‘territorial state’ in the Middle East.
Keywords
discourse, globalisation, Russia, sovereignty, Syria, United States, Westphalia
Received: 10th July 2017; Revised version received: 1st December 2017; Accepted: 29th January 2018
Introduction
Sovereignty remains an ‘elusive and controversial’ notion shaping world politics and
political thought (Pusterla, 2016). Despite centuries of analysis, it remains contested,
with disputed origins and an enigmatic position of privilege. Even ‘sceptical’ scholars
who are dissatisfied with the concept continue to reproduce the logic of sovereignty in
their thinking (Havercroft, 2011). One main reason for this elusiveness and contro-
versy is found in the gap between theory and practice. While sovereignty can acquire
a contextual specificity and variegated accoutrements in practice (Krasner, 1999), it
Corresponding author:
Mustafa Menshawy, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Wadi Albanat, Altarfa Street, Zone 70, PO Box
200592, Al-Dhaayen, Doha, Qatar.
Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Westminster, 32/38 Wells Street London
W1T 3UW
Email: Mustafa.menshawy@dohainstitute.edu.qa; M.Elmenshawi@westminster.ac.uk
770348POL0010.1177/0263395718770348PoliticsMenshawy
research-article2018
Article
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