Identification and Prioritization of Geopolitical Codes and Genomes in the Formation and Existence of Hybrid Warfare Using TOPSIS Technique (Case Study of War in Syria)

Wars are the geopolitical events that result from the confrontation of hostile forces in a particular territory. In many cases, what is stated as the reason for the beginning or continuation of a war is, in fact, the representation is based on the goals and interests of its actors; while the goals of the actors and their interests are influenced by foundations and geopolitical rivalries at the regional or global level. The war in Syria, also known as the Hybrid Warfare, is the product of the geopolitical opposition of its many actors. Therefore, this applied research has been prepared and developed using John W. Creswell’s research in order to identify and prioritize the effective geopolitical codes and genomes in the formation and continuation of Syrian combined warfare. To this end, the geopolitical codes and genomes of Syria were identified by interviewing the elites and conducting library studies. In the qualitative section, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 10 political geography professors. Then, according to the results of the interviews, the Topsis questionnaire was prepared and distributed among 35 graduate students of Ph.D. in Strategic Science and Combined-Joint Operations. The findings of the study included nine geopolitical codes and genomes that are characterized by their priority and their importance in the formation and continuation of the combined Syrian war: Trans-regional actor's rivalry; ISIS; regional actor's rivalry; geopolitical polarization; Syria's geopolitical importance; domestic players; Syrian government; divergent populations; and Syrian geopolitical challenges with its neighbors.