The Syrian jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the evolution of an insurgency

Introduction

Part I. Setting the Scene. Breaking down the barriers: protest

Underlying instability

Syria's flirtation with Jihadism

Part II. First on the scene. March-December 2011: Jabhat Al-Nusra forms

January-August 2012: Jabhat Al-Nusra emerges

September 2012-March 2013: Jabhat Al-Nusra rises

Part III. Making a scene. April-June 2013: the Islamic State joins the conflict

July-December 2013: rising tensions

January-April 2014: turning against the Islamic State

Part IV. Caliphates, Emirates and Divergence. May-August 2014: declaring a caliphate

The Islamic State

September-December 2014: strikes and divisions

January-June 2015: tipping the scales

The Syrian Jihad