My doctoral research examines the impact of natural resources on the fragmentation of sectarian armed groups in the Syrian civil war. Current research on armed group fragmentation does not pay sufficient attention to sectarianism and natural resources as possible drivers of fragmentation. To address these gaps, this project develops a novel testable theory of sectarian armed group fragmentation while employing mixed methods to test the hypotheses generated by this theory. This research contributes to the literature on armed groups by studying a new driver of armed group splintering, and to the literature on natural resources and civil wars by identifying a new mechanism through which natural resources may lengthen civil wars.
