The Phases of International Relations in the Islamic Political System

Given that the Islamic movement Jabhat al-Nusra now holds power in Syria, it can be helpful to revisit the core principles of the Islamic system of international relations and the customs of Islamic empires across various periods. These principles guided the interactions of these empires with both nearby and distant neighbors. Although al-Nusra previously operated as an Islamist group in Idlib, it has since aimed to behave more like a state or empire after taking control of Damascus in December 2024.

The pragmatic behavior of Syria’s new leaders towards Israel, the United States, European countries, and Russia offers evidence supporting the proposition advanced in our previously published research. We present a condensed version of the essay here, focusing on drawing the necessary connections and outlining our argument.