Conclusion

Summary

This chapter argues that the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood by 2019 was neither as violent nor as undemocratic as the conventional narrative purported. Indeed, the Brotherhood’s return to Syria was constrained by mundane organisational flaws such as internal dissent, poor political decision-making and lack of mechanisms for command and control of its cadre. It is an understanding of these organisational flaws and its history that illuminates the character of the movement, as these organisational deficiencies are likely to ensure that the group finds a glass ceiling that will prevent it achieving either a dominant or prominent role in the exercise of power in Syria in the future. It is simply not well placed to harness any such opportunity.