Inheriting Syria

Inheriting Syria
Author: Flynt Leverett
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2005-04-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0815752067

Syria has long presented a difficult problem for American policymakers. Actively supportive of groups such as Hezbollah, it has occupied Lebanon for more than 20 years. Damascus remains intransigent on Israel's complete withdrawal from the disputed Golan Heights as the sine qua non for peace with that state. It is often mentioned in the same breath as members of the infamous "axis of evil." Syria occupies an important strategic position in the Middle East—one made even more significant as America considers long-term involvement in the reconstruction of Iraq. As the policy challenges posed by Syria's problematic behavior have grown more pressing in the recent security environment, the United States has had difficulty formulating a coherent and effective policy toward Damascus. The death of long-time dictator Hafiz al Assad has forced renewed debate on its place in the region. The transition from Assad to his son Bashar has thrown Western consensus on how to deal with the Syrian leadership further into doubt. In heriting Syria fills this void with a detailed analytic portrait of the Syrian regime under Bashar's leadership. It draws implications for U.S. policy, offering a bold new strategy for achieving American objectives, largely via a strategy of "coordinated engagement" employing both sticks and carrots. This strategy would be independent of the Arab-Israeli peace process, thus a historical departure for the United States. The author's long service in the foreign policy establishment has uniquely positioned him to provide valuable insights into this mysterious yet important country. This book will be of high interest to those concerned about the Middle East, the war on terror, and the future of American foreign policy. Written for a general audience as well as the policymaking and academic communities,her iting Syria is is an important resource for all who seek deeper understanding of this enigmatic nation and its leadership.

Inheriting Syria

Inheriting Syria
Author: Flynt Lawrence Leverett
Publisher:
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2005
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

A detailed analytic portrait of Syria under the Asad dynasty, offering a new strategy for achieving American foreign policy and security objectives in the Middle East, largely independent of the Arab-Israeli peace process--Provided by publisher.

The Wisdom of Syria's Waiting Game

The Wisdom of Syria's Waiting Game
Author: Bente Scheller
Publisher: Hurst
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2014-02-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1849045003

Syrian foreign policy, always opaque, has become an even greater puzzle during the Syrian revolt. Irrespective of the regime's international isolation in the wake of its violent response to domestic protest, it has paid lip-service to international peace plans while unperturbedly crushing the rebellion. The rare televised appearances of President Assad have shown a leader detached from reality. Has he-in his own words-'gone crazy'? In this book long- time Syria analyst and former diplomat Bente Scheller contends that Bashar Assad's deadly waiting game is following its own logic: whatever difficulties the Syrian regime has faced, its previous experience has been that it can simply sit out the current crisis. The difference this time is that Syria faces a double crisis-internal and external. While Hafez Assad, renowned as an astute politician, adapted to new challenges, his son, Bashar, seems to have no alternative plan of action. Scheller's timely book analyses Syrian foreign policy after the global upheavals of 1989, which was at the time a glorious new beginning for the regime. She shows how Bashar Assad, by ignoring change both inside Syria and in the region, has sacrificed his father's focus on national security in favour of a policy of regime survival and offers a candid analysis of the successes and shortcomings of Syrian foreign policy in recent years.

Syria in Ruins

Syria in Ruins
Author: David S. Sorenson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2016-09-19
Genre: History
ISBN:

Syria is home to one of the most brutal and protracted civil wars in history, posing a threat to global stability and enabling the expansion of the Islamic State (sometimes called "ISIS"). This in-depth analysis reveals the beginning, present state, and future of this conflict. The current crises involving ISIS have attracted worldwide attention to the complex politics and cultural panorama of the Middle East, including Syria. Political analyst and author David S. Sorenson discusses the ongoing civil war in Syria from its origins, to its key players, and to its propagation into neighboring countries. In the process, the work delves into Syria's demographics, history, economy, and security to illustrate the civil war's impact on the Middle East and the world. This in-depth analysis covers the Assad regime, ISIS's role in the region, possible outcomes of the conflict, and security implications for the country. Starting with a history of Syria, the work identifies the factors that have contributed to the onset and continuation of the civil war, moves on to an analysis of the outbreak and growth of the war, and points out key factors that fueled its intensity. A look at the Islamic State considers the internationalization of the Syrian civil war, explaining how the addition of many parties outside of Syria have made the war more violent and protracted. The book concludes by considering alternative endings for the conflict and addressing the role of world powers in the conflict and its outcome.

Syria, Ballots Or Bullets ?

Syria, Ballots Or Bullets ?
Author: Carsten Wieland
Publisher: Cune Press
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781885942166

Bashar al-Asad, unlike any other Arab leader, publicly announced his opposition to the war in Iraq. This made the Syrian president popular in the streets but brought him into open confrontation with the US. For a time it seemed that the US would invade or subvert the regime or institute a killing regimen of sanctions. The assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri made things worse, with observers, including the UN, pointing the finger at Damascus. Syrian troops were forced to withdraw from Lebanon where they had been stationed for nearly three decades. Today, Bashar is facing the toughest challenge of his career?caught between Syrian hardliners and an increasingly impatient opposition. And what of the 18 million people of Syria? Will this country descend into chaos and violence? Or will it progress toward pluralism and economic progress? Syria - Ballots or Bullets delivers surprising insights into one of the most obscure countries in the world.

Crescent of Crisis

Crescent of Crisis
Author: Ivo H. Daalder
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2006-01-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0815716877

A Brookings Institution Press and EU Institute for Security Studies publication The greater Middle East region is beset by a crescent of crises, stretching from Pakistan through Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Together, these five crises pose the most pressing security challenges faced by the United States and its European allies—ranging from terrorism and weapons proliferation to the rise of fundamentalism and the lack of democracy. Until now, Europe and the United States have approached these issues (indeed, the Middle East as a whole) in differing ways, with little effective coordination of policy. In fact, how best to deal with the greater Middle East has emerged as one of the most contentious issues in U.S.-European relations. The need for a common approach to the region is more evident than ever. This book brings together some of Europe and America's leading scholars and practitioners in an effort to develop a common approach to resolving the five major crises in the region. European and American authors provide succinct and fact-filled overviews of the different crises, describe U.S. and European perspectives on the way forward, and suggest ways in which the United States and Europe can better cooperate. In the conclusion, the editors synthesize the different suggestions into a roadmap for U.S.-European cooperation for addressing the challenges of the Greater Middle East in the years ahead. Contributors include Stephen Cohen (Brookings Institution), James Dobbins (RAND), Toby Dodge (University of London), Martin Indyk (Saban Center at Brookings), Kenneth Pollack (Saban Center at Brookings), Jean-Luc Racine (Center for the Study of India and South Asia), Barnett Rubin (New York University), Yezid Sayigh (University of Cambridge), and Bruno Tertrais (Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique).

The Foreign Policies of Arab States

The Foreign Policies of Arab States
Author: ʻAlī al-Dīn Hilāl
Publisher: American Univ in Cairo Press
Total Pages: 530
Release: 2010
Genre: History
ISBN: 9789774163609

This is an indispensable aid for those studying or teaching the foreign policies of the contemporary Middle East. Not only are the elements of foreign policy discussed and presented as a whole region, but the editors provide the established analytical framework by which each contributor, in their individual chapters, has analyzed and evaluated the foreign policies of nine Arab countries. Their framework perceives foreign policy in the context of its environment : domestic, regional and global. This edition has new material reflecting the earth-shaking events at the end of the Cold War and the continuation of violence and terrorism.

The Battle for Syria

The Battle for Syria
Author: Christopher Phillips
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 423
Release: 2020-07-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300249918

An unprecedented analysis of the crucial but underexplored roles the United States and other nations have played in shaping Syria's ongoing civil war "One of the best informed and non-partisan accounts of the Syrian tragedy yet published."--Patrick Cockburn, Independent Syria's brutal, long-lasting civil war is widely viewed as a domestic contest that began in 2011 and only later drew foreign nations into the fray. But in this book Christopher Phillips shows the crucial roles that were played by the United States, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar in Syria's war right from the start. Phillips untangles the international influences on the tragic conflict and illuminates the West's strategy against ISIS, the decline of U.S. power in the region, and much more. Originally published in 2016, the book has been updated with two new chapters.

Rolling Back the Islamic State

Rolling Back the Islamic State
Author: Seth G. Jones
Publisher: Rand Corporation
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2017-04-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0833098101

The Islamic State has lost substantial amounts of territory but continues to conduct and inspire attacks around the world. This report assesses the threat the Islamic State poses to the United States and examines strategies to counter the group and prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State or other Salafi-jihadist groups.

Great Powers, Weak States, and Insurgency

Great Powers, Weak States, and Insurgency
Author: Patrick W. Quirk
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2017-01-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3319474197

This book offers an original and theoretically rich examination into the dynamics of alliances that great powers and weak states form to defeat threats, such as rebellion or insurgency, within the smaller state’s borders. The author examines contemporary examples of such “internal threat alliances,” including Russia’s collaboration with Syria’s Assad regime to defeat anti-government rebels and U.S. cooperation with Afghanistan’s ruling political elite to combat the Taliban. In each case, the weaker state’s leadership wanted to remain in power while the great power sought to safeguard its interests linked to the regime’s stability. The book adds to International Relations (IR) theory by presenting a distinct conceptual framework that explains why internal threat alliances form, why some are more cohesive than others, and why some are effective while others are not. It thus promises to be of interest to IR scholars and students working in the areas of security studies, alliance dynamics, political violence, and civil war, but also to policy-makers grappling with how to salvage interests, such as access to natural resources or regional stability, imperiled by violence in weak states.