Institutionalizing Violence: Strategies of Jihad in Egypt

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. The Egyptian al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya and Islamic Jihad have shaped the trajectory of jihadi salafism since its inception and defined a key strategic divide between mass-movement mobilization and elitist avant-gardism. Despite their shared histories, however, al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya rejected al-Qaeda's transnational violence and became a political party after 2011, whereas Islamic Jihad has formed the backbone of Osama bin Laden's organization. These strategic divergences are puzzling since these groups emerged in the same country around congruent ideologies. Institutionalizing Violience develops an institutional approach to radicalization to compare the two groups' comparative trajectories. It is based on extensive field research conducted with their leaders and members in Egypt. The interviews provide a unique perspective on how jihadi groups make and implement new strategic decisions in changing environments, as well as the evolution of their approaches to violence and non-violence.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Acknowledgements List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Arabic Glossary Arabic Transliteration CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1.1. How Important are Jihadi Groups' Strategic Developments? 1.2. Jihad and its Aftermath in Egypt 1.3. The Concepts of Radicalization and Institutionalization 1.4. The First Argument: Jihadi Groups' Radicalization and Institutionalization 1.5. The Second Argument: Jihadi Groups' Institutionalization and Long-Term Strategic Evolution 1.6. The Scope of the Model and Contribution to Existing Research 1.7. Overview of the Chapters CHAPTER 2 Institutionalizing Violence 2.1. Jihadi Groups' Relational Radicalization 2.2. Comparative Mechanisms of Radicalization and Beyond 2.3. Jihadi Groups' Institutionalization 2.4. Radicalization and Institutionalization 2.5. Institutionalization and Long-Term Strategic Evolution CHAPTER 3 Two Trajectories to Jihad 3.1. The Seeds of Violence Before and After Nasser's Free Officers 3.2. Religion and Politics Under Sadat 3.3. Covert Jihad Group Mobilization 3.4. From Mass Movement Proselytization to Jihad 3.5. Towards an Armed Confrontation: Killing Pharaoh 3.6. Conclusion CHAPTER 4 Strategy Institutionalization 4.1. Cementing the Roots of Salafi Jihadi Opposition to the Regime in Prison 4.2. Early Institutionalization after Sadat's Assassination Trials 4.3. Denouncing Other Islamists and Religious Institutions 4.4. A Contentious Exile to Afghanistan and Pakistan and the Cradle of al-Qaeda 4.5. Ideological Radicalization in Exile? 4.6. A Strategic Deadlock and the Transnationalization of Jihad 4.7. Reinterpreting Salafi Jihadi Ideology 4.8. Conclusion CHAPTER 5 Confronting the Regime and Fighting the Far Enemy 5.1. Reacting to Repression 5.2. The Militarization of the Conflict 5.3. A Fight for Survival 5.4. Relocating Jihad Abroad 5.5. Conclusion CHAPTER 6 The Emergence of Non-Violent Political Alternatives 6.1. What Happened to the Other Islamists? 6.2. The Institutionalization of Jihadi Groups' Collective Identities 6.3. Responding to a Short-Lived Democratization 6.4. Conclusion CHAPTER 7 Conclusion 7.1. The Institutional Trajectories of the Islamic and Jihad Groups 7.2. Armed Violence Beyond Egypt 7.2.1. The Strategic Development of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State 7.2.2. Political Violence and Democracy 7.2.2. The Role of Ideas 7.3. Understanding Jihadi Groups as Groups Annex: Methodology and Field Research Bibliography

About the Author :
Jérôme Drevon is senior analyst on Jihad and Modern Conflict at the International Crisis Group (ICG) and research associate at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) (Centre on Conflict, Development & Peacebuilding (CCDP)). He was previously advisor for Non-State Armed Groups at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Jerome has undertaken extensive field research and interviews with salafi jihadi militants in Egypt and Syria.

Review :
Jerome Drevon's Institutionalizing Violence is a remarkable piece of scholarship. It advances our theoretical understanding of Salafi groups' radicalization and de-radicalization, and the centrality of institutionalization to groups' strategic choices. Its empirical chapters, focused on Egyptian Salafi-Jihadi groups, are fascinating, the result of exceptional access to important figures in these organizations. Drevon also has a unique ability to breathtakingly tell their story. This book is a must read for students of social movements, terrorism studies, and the Jihadi movement. If we want to find new and more constructive ways of managing the threat stemming from jihadist militancy, we need to understand how jihadist organizations function. In this excellent book, Jérôme Drevon draws on unique material gathered through extensive in-country research in Egypt, and convincingly shows how different types of jihadist organizational patterns influence the groups' trajectories, including the chances for conflict termination and political accommodation. A must-read for anyone interested in jihadist militancy and the sociology of violence more broadly. Richly researched, considered, and incisive, Institutionalizing Violence is a work that not only deserves wide readership, but is one with which all serious researchers of jihadist movements must contend. Jerome Drevon's excellent scholarship and exceptional access to historical figures in Egypt's most influential jihadist groups combine here in a new study that provides unique insight into strategic decision making within militant organizations. For these reasons, this book is essential reading. In his remarkable book, Drevon (Geneva Graduate Institute, Switzerland) advances a well-grounded theoretical understanding of the radicalization and de-radicalization of Salafi groups and the centrality of institutionalization to the groups' strategic choices. Drevon's excellent book draws on unique materials gathered through extensive, in-country research in Egypt, which convincingly shows how different types of jihadist organizational patterns influence the trajectories of the groups, including their chances for conflict termination and political accommodation. This richly researched project is excellent scholarship because of the exceptional access Drevon had to historical figures in Egypt's most influential jihadist groups, which provides unique insight into strategic decision-making within militant organizations.