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Akbarpour Almeh joghi, A., Salehi Vasigh, M. (2025). Analysis of U.S. Policy Toward Takfiri Groups in West Asia with Emphasis on Syria (2013–2024): A Smart Power Approach. Electronic and Cyber Defense, 5(1), 123-151. doi: 10.47176/asr.2025.1264
Ali Akbarpour Almeh joghi; Mohammad reza Salehi Vasigh. "Analysis of U.S. Policy Toward Takfiri Groups in West Asia with Emphasis on Syria (2013–2024): A Smart Power Approach". Electronic and Cyber Defense, 5, 1, 2025, 123-151. doi: 10.47176/asr.2025.1264
Akbarpour Almeh joghi, A., Salehi Vasigh, M. (2025). 'Analysis of U.S. Policy Toward Takfiri Groups in West Asia with Emphasis on Syria (2013–2024): A Smart Power Approach', Electronic and Cyber Defense, 5(1), pp. 123-151. doi: 10.47176/asr.2025.1264
Akbarpour Almeh joghi, A., Salehi Vasigh, M. Analysis of U.S. Policy Toward Takfiri Groups in West Asia with Emphasis on Syria (2013–2024): A Smart Power Approach. Electronic and Cyber Defense, 2025; 5(1): 123-151. doi: 10.47176/asr.2025.1264

Analysis of U.S. Policy Toward Takfiri Groups in West Asia with Emphasis on Syria (2013–2024): A Smart Power Approach

مطالعات راهبردی آمریکا
Article 4, Volume 5, Issue 1 - Serial Number 17, June 2025, Pages 123-151    PDF (1.41 M)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.47176/asr.2025.1264
Authors
Ali Akbarpour Almeh joghi* 1; Mohammad reza Salehi Vasigh2
1M.Sc. Payame Noor University of Quchan, Iran.
2PhD Student in Political Science, University of Tehran
Receive Date: 11 December 2024,  Revise Date: 01 March 2025,  Accept Date: 19 April 2025 
Abstract
The emergence and expansion of Takfiri and terrorist groups, especially in Syria—such as ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra, which later rebranded as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham—have created complex challenges for U.S. foreign policy. This study aims to critically analyze the United States’ approach to these groups through the lens of the "smart power" theory, examining Washington’s contradictory policies toward them. The research methodology is historical-analytical with a critical approach, utilizing library sources to examine the developments in U.S. foreign policy from 2013 to 2024. A review of historical background revealed that the U.S. contributed to the formation of extremist groups such as al-Qaeda in the 1980s by supporting certain Arab and Afghan elements, which later became threats to its own interests. In this context, the findings confirmed that the United States, by employing instruments of hard power (military operations, provision of weapons, and economic sanctions) and soft power (public diplomacy, diplomatic engagement, and humanitarian aid), has consistently sought to manage and exploit these groups. The shift in Washington’s approach toward Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the group’s removal from the terrorist list in 2024 serves as an example of the flexibility in U.S. policy aimed at securing its regional interests. The study concludes that the United States’ smart power strategy toward Takfiri groups, with an emphasis on Syria, despite evident contradictions, ultimately serves its strategic objectives in West Asia.
Keywords
United States of America; Takfiri groups; ISIS; Tahrir al-Sham; Syria
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