Cooke, Miriam.  Dissident Syria: making oppositional arts official.  Duke University, 2007.  196p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780822340164, $74.95; ISBN 9780822340355  pbk, $21.95. Reviewed in 2008apr CHOICE.
45-4207  DS94  2007-3444 CIP

This work is based on Cooke’s six-month sojourn in Syria and her personal encounters with dissidents who risked being imprisoned for their views. Aiming to further knowledge of Syrian culture outside Syria and to demonstrate that ruler and people are not the same, Cooke (Arabic literature and culture, Duke Univ.) focuses on creative individuals who fought for freedom and struggled against hypocrisy. In eight somewhat disjointed chapters, the author discusses what she learned of the visible and controversial role of the production of culture in mid-1990s Syria. The intellectuals she talked with questioned the power discourse, demanded accountability, and incited others to do the same. Cooke offers up a variety of impressions gleaned from her encounters with those promoting democracy: for example, dissident culture does not leave the country; there is no such thing as “women’s literature”; only commissioned criticism is permitted. The author also includes chapters on “dissident performances,” “filming dreams,” “lightening your step,” and “leaving Damascus.” Including notes and a few illustrations, this book of personal observations is a valuable contribution to the study of dissident literature and culture, particularly in the Middle East. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers. — C. E. Farah, University of Minnesota

George, Alan.  Syria: neither bread nor freedom.  Zed Books, 2003.  206p bibl index ISBN 1-84277-213-9 pbk, $22.50. Reviewed in 2004mar CHOICE.
41-4275  JQ1826   MARC

Syria has long been recognized as a pivotal Arab state. Yet, relatively few books in English provide an authoritative account of sociopolitical developments in that country–partly because of the closed nature of Syria’s political system and the inability to conduct field research on contemporary political issues in that country. This book, however, relies on the author’s academic training and expertise on modern Syria and his numerous visits to that country, which have allowed him to interview key figures in and out of the government and thus obtain a keen understanding of how contemporary Syria functions. In a lucid style that eschews academic jargon, George provides a devastating indictment of Syria’s one-party rule while praising the indomitable spirit of the Syrian people. George explains how the Ba’ath Party has dominated political discourse and governing institutions in Syria to the detriment of sociopolitical and economic development in that country. He also provides a lively discussion of the rise of the civil society movement and the brutal suppression of the “Damascus Spring” by state authorities. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. — N. Entessar, Spring Hill College

Goodarzi, Jubin M.  Syria and Iran: diplomatic alliance and power politics in the Middle East.  I.B. Tauris, 2006.  359p bibl index  (Library of international relations, 23) ISBN 1-84511-127-3, $74.95; ISBN 9781845111274, $74.95.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2006dec CHOICE.
44-2352  DS95   MARC

The recent Israeli-Hezbollah war has put a spotlight on both Iran and Syria. Goodarzi’s analysis of Syrian-Iranian relations is a solid, historical description of the key relationship in present Middle Eastern troubles. A bit overdetailed for the more casual reader, the book is well worth the closer study required to examine this complex subject. Goodarzi offers a description of high-level diplomatic, military, and intelligence activities that touch on most of the major crises and issues of the past 25 years. The author clearly and definitely demonstrates the tight linkages between Iran and Syria in the creation and support of the Lebanese Hezbollah Party. Goodarzi, an independent scholar who has worked for the UN and research institutes in the US and UK, is at his best in describing the complex interlinkages between foreign policy issues involving Syria, the rest of the Arab world, and the Israeli/Lebanese relationship. The US comes off as unskilled and inattentive to the Iran/Syria nexus, and more than a little behind the curve of understanding, especially in the post-2003 period. This is a very solid piece of research and writing that will be valid for years. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through graduate students. — J. D. Stempel, University of Kentucky

Haddad, Bassam.  Business networks in Syria: the political economy of authoritarian resilience.  Stanford, 2012.  255p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8047-7332-7, $45.00; ISBN 9780804773324, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012aug CHOICE.
49-6995  HC415  2011-12228 CIP

Haddad (director, Middle East studies program, George Mason Univ.) describes the Syrian government’s security concerns about the business community, fed by the deep mistrust between the Alawite holders of power and the Sunni holders of capital. He argues that for more than 40 years this has led the government to adopt an economic model based on informal networks bringing together state officials and select businessmen. Based on his extraordinarily deep knowledge of Syrian society and business practices, Haddad describes at length how these informal networks molded economic institutions to preserve their own interests. They created a new economic elite protected by the state, which displaced both the bankrupt public sector and the truly private sector. He explains in detail how the circumscribed economic liberalization in the 1990s benefited the same old winners at the expense of economic stagnation. In the chapter on fiscal policy, Haddad walks the reader through how official statistics mislead and hide the way fiscal policy benefits the entrenched elite. He argues that while the system was adopted due to the regime’s security concerns, the entrenched networks have so discouraged productive investment that they have come to threaten the regime’s security. A significant, timely analysis. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. — P. Clawson, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Ma’oz, Moshe.  Asad: the Sphinx of Damascus: a political biography.  Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1988.  226p index ISBN 1-55584-062-0, $19.95. Reviewed in 1989jan CHOICE.
26-2886  DS98.3.A8  87-36539 CIP

Ma’oz, a historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has written an excellent introduction to Syrian political life from 1970 to 1987. Despite its subtitle, the book actually focuses not on Asad’s career or personality but on major political institutions (army, party, economic bureaucracy) and key aspects of foreign policy (wars with Israel, intervention in Lebanon, and inter-Arab wrangling). It is remarkably balanced, never tendentious, and strives to describe Syrian policies as Asad himself might understand them. Its strength lies in its wealth of details culled from a thorough reading of the sources. Other experts may quibble with points of interpretation (and correct some minor errors) but they will find this an admirable textbook, lucid enough to satisfy undergraduates yet rich enough to interest advanced researchers. — Y. M. Sadowski, Brookings Institution

Moubayed, Sami.  Syria and the USA: Washington’s relations with Damascus from Wilson to Eisenhower.  I. B. Tauris, 2012.  207p bibl index ISBN 1-84885-705-5, $96.00; ISBN 9781848857056, $96.00.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2012aug CHOICE.
49-7090  E183  2012-372542 MARC

Moubayed (formerly, Univ. of Kalamoon, Syria) has done an excellent job of shedding some light on US-Syrian relations, particularly from the beginning of WW I, Wilson’s view of Syria, and his role at the peace conferences, to the emergence of the Eisenhower Doctrine of the 1950s. The author points out that until WW I, Syrians viewed Americans with great admiration. Moubayed explains that reasons for the erosion of the good will on both sides, particularly after WW II, included the politics of oil, the creation of the State of Israel and the strong US support of it, the rise of Arab nationalism, and Cold War politics as it played out in the Middle East. The author brilliantly presents the Syrian perspective on US-Syrian relations during this era. His research in US archival materials and the private paper collections of a number of Syrian political leaders, his interviews with some of them and his use of newspapers and scholarly journals, as well as his personal interest in the history of cinema, all combine to offer an interesting, entertaining, and informative narrative of a subject that has been seldom discussed, and yet is so critical to the stability of the area. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — N. Rassekh, emeritus, Lewis and Clark College

Perthes, Volker.  The political economy of Syria under Asad.  I.B. Tauris, 1995.  298p bibl index ISBN 1-85043-910-9, $59.50.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 1996jan CHOICE.
33-2858  Orig

This clearly written and well-presented account by the leading European scholar of contemporary Syria is the definitive account on Syrian economics and an important source on its politics and society. Only one of the six sections is on economic performance per se, although the other sections (on social division, the political structure, and political decision making, plus an introduction and conclusion) view issues largely through the lens of economics. Foreign policy is confined to the concluding section, which has a solid but brief discussion of the domestic implications of the confrontation with Israel; intervention in Lebanon gets less analysis. Similar brief treatment is given to ethnic or religious factors; the emphasis on class over other social divisions means that there is relatively little discussion of the tensions between the Sunni majority and the Alawite community from which most of the ruling elite stems. The discussion of class issues is primarily empirical (e.g., tracing what has happened to the rural poor and how the distribution of income has changed) rather than the theoretical discussions that preoccupy the other main political economist writing on modern Syria, Raymond Hinnebusch, in Peasant and Bureaucracy in Ba’thist Syria (1989) and Authoritarian Power and State Formation in Ba’thist Syria (CH, Nov’90).  Perthes demonstrates mastery over Syrian sources, as well as the full range of Western literature. Upper-division undergraduate through professional. — P. Clawson, National Defense University 

Rabil, Robert G.  Embattled neighbors: Syria, Israel, and Lebanon.  L. Rienner, 2003.  306p bibl index afp ISBN 1-58826-149-2, $58.50.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2003sep CHOICE.
41-0503  DS119  2002-68271 CIP

Characterizing both Israel and Syria as relatively new states that have consciously embodied and evoked Jewish and Arab respective nationalisms and as “embattled neighbors” with Lebanon squeezed between them, Rabil focuses on the Israeli-Syrian aspect of the historical and contemporary conflict between Israel and its neighboring Arab states. With remarkable objectivity, Rabil analyzes the conflicts and interactions among Israel, Syria, and Lebanon from the 1947-49 war to the more recent and sensitive negotiations over the Golan Heights. He argues that “[a]lthough the two countries committed themselves to peace, they were neither prepared nor ready for it.” They were unable to shed “their deep-seated anxieties, ingrained habits, and the traditional restraints of their domestic politics.” Thus, peace remains elusive for the embattled neighbors with a settlement “held hostage to [Syrian] dignity and [Israeli] insecurity.” This is a superior analysis especially recommended for libraries with limited budgets for materials on Middle East concerns but that want an unbiased, detailed, and readable analysis of the past and continuing Arab-Israeli enigma. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All libraries and levels. — B. Harris Jr., Occidental College

Rabil, Robert G.  Syria, the United States, and the war on terror in the Middle East.  Praeger, 2006.  289p bibl index afp ISBN 0-275-99015-X, $49.95. Reviewed in 2007jan CHOICE.
44-2934  E183  2005-34115 CIP

Although Rabil (Florida Atlantic Univ.) completed this book in March 2005, he was prescient in analyzing the politics of Syria, Lebanon, and Hezbollah. Rabil suggested conditions could lead to war, which did occur in July-August 2006. He cites reasons for the US government’s growing frustration with Syria’s support for resistance forces in Iraq, Hamas, and Islamic jihad. Rabil contends the Asad regime’s policy of liberalizing the economy is accompanied by even more authoritarian measures to contain dissent. One such policy is to encourage Pan-Arabism as well as Islamist ideologies. The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Refik Hariri in 2005, which resulted in a popular revolt compelling the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, encouraged the author to think that Lebanon might yet be able to foster a viable Lebanese state. But the war between Hezbollah and Israel jeopardized this possibility. Indeed, the war may well result in another prediction of the author’s coming true: “Syria is set to clash with the United States over the future of the Middle East.” For differing views, readers should consult Flynt Leverett’s Inheriting Syria: Bashar’s Trial by Fire (Brookings, 2005).  Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through practitioners. — R. W. Olson, University of Kentucky

Rabinovich, Itamar.  The view from Damascus: state, political community and foreign relations in twentieth-century Syria.  Vallentine Mitchell, 2008.  371p bibl index; ISBN 9780853038009, $49.95. Reviewed in 2009jun CHOICE.
46-5871  DS98   MARC

This volume includes conference papers, articles, and book chapters written by Rabinovich from 1978 to 2008 that touch on almost every conceivable aspect of Syrian domestic and foreign politics in the last 100 years. Several articles focus minutely on obscure but important political personalities. Others convey the complexity of interethnic politics within Syria. Most of the book deals with Syrian relations with Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and the US. The regime of Hafiz al-Asad is examined from various angles, yielding important insights into internal Baath Party politics. Surprising details are also provided about Syrian negotiations with the US and Israel (Rabinovich himself had been involved in some of these sessions), with excellent descriptions of the key issues from the Syrian and the Israeli points of view. Without necessarily justifying Asad’s negotiating strategies, which so frustrated Washington and Jerusalem, Rabinovich lets the reader understand his thought processes. Though a few of the articles have been updated, the book would have benefited from more attentive editing, such as clarifying introductory remarks for some chapters, and another thorough proofreading. But overall this book is an excellent resource for scholars of Syria and the Middle East conflicts. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. — D. Schwam-Baird, University of North Florida

Stacher, Joshua.  Adaptable autocrats: regime power in Egypt and Syria.  Stanford, 2012.  221p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780804780629, $80.00; ISBN 9780804780636 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012nov CHOICE.
50-1709  DT107  2012-2768 CIP

Stacher (Kent State Univ.) offers a theoretical explanation for the different developments in Egypt and Syria following the Arab Spring. The promise to “explain why Egypt was capable of achieving a quick and seemingly smooth transition of power in its ruling coalition while Syria experienced a more violent outcome,” however, is not completely fulfilled. The argument that the Egyptian system has been more centralized is a hard sell. More persuasive is the observation that Arab elites engage not in reform, but in adaptation to maintain their dominance. Reform, from US officials’ perspective, is a change in the character of governance, but reforms initiated by Arab leaders preclude such alterations. A fundamental difference between Egypt and Syria is historical. Egypt has been a distinct nation-state for a long time, governed from Cairo. Syria as a state is relatively new, and lacks the regional penetration that the Egyptian state has enjoyed. Stacher argues that Anwar Sadat depoliticized state institutions and Hosni Mubarak followed the trend, but Hafez al-Assad nurtured politicized institutions. The Egyptian centralized elite could remove Mubarak when he became a liability, but the decentralized Syrian elite could not remove Bashar al-Assad. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate collections. — F. L. Mokhtari, University of Vermont

Syria unmasked: the suppression of human rights by the Asad regime, by the Middle East Watch. Yale, 1991.  215p bibl index afp ISBN 0300051158, $25.00 Reviewed in 1992feb CHOICE.
29-3560 JC599 91-17065 CIP

Informative, concise, and well-documented, this book treats human rights issues in Syria since the military coup of March, 1963. With impressive objectivity and detail, the book examines the instruments of repression including the Ba’ath party, the military, and the security apparatus; discusses the nature of control and repression by these instruments; evaluates popular efforts at democratization; explicates external connections to such human rights violations; and makes policy recommendations. Obsessed with control of the political opposition and religious and ethnic minorities, the Asad regime has developed an extensive network of terror that employs torture, imprisonment, and summary executions. The regime rejects all democratic principles including freedom of expression and participation. Elections are rigged, groups and parties are closely controlled or banned, and the media are censored. These clear violations of human rights seem to have had no bearing on Syrian foreign relations. The US and other countries have made little attempt to influence this policy; indeed, some of the worst violations were committed during the presidency of Carter, who made human rights a major component of his foreign policy. The book offers three recommendations to address these violations: domestic reform, and pressure by the US and by international organizations. All levels of readers.–M. Tamadonfar, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Ziadeh, Radwan.  Power and policy in Syria: intelligence services, foreign relations and democracy in the modern Middle East.  I. B. Tauris, 2011.  228p bibl index  (Library of modern Middle East studies, 98); ISBN 9781848854345, $92.00. Reviewed in 2011sep CHOICE.
49-0533  DS98   MARC

This timely book was written just a few months before the Arab Spring rebellions in 2011, which were followed by the repression of the Syrian Spring in April and May. It analyzes the security obsessed (muhabarat), corrupt, and crony neoliberal capitalism of the Ba’athist regime of Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar. The son proved incapable of altering the security-centered regime created by his father, or of implementing policies to provide hope to the struggling people of Syria, especially those between 14 and 30, who in 2011 made up nearly 50 percent of the population. Ziadeh (visiting scholar, Harvard Univ.) stresses four foreign policy issues that should be addressed: relations with Lebanon resulting from the unresolved consequences of the assassination of Premier Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005; relations with Iran; relations with Iraq; and the above challenges, which impel Ziadeh to recommend that Syria abandon its policy of “strategic regression” and adopt a policy of “strategic retraction,” i.e., reduce its foreign commitments to concentrate on the badly neglected domestic scene. Anyone interested in developments in the Arab world should read this book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. — R. W. Olson, University of Kentucky

Zisser, Eyal.  Commanding Syria: Bashar al-Asad and the first years in power.  Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.  230p index , $74.95; ISBN 1-84511-153-2, $74.95. Reviewed in 2007jun CHOICE.
44-5892  DS98   MARC

This comprehensive survey of contemporary Syria by Zisser, senior research fellow at Tel-Aviv University, focuses on the role of President Bashar al-Asad, who succeeded his father, Hafez al-Asad, in June 2000. Zisser traces the rise of the young president from his education in England as an ophthalmologist to his sudden, unexpected ascent as successor to his father. The book contains an excellent description of contemporary Syria and analysis of its political, economic, and social problems. Foreign affairs cover relations with the US as well as Israel, Lebanon, and other Middle East neighbors. The hopes that Bashar’s new regime would bring major economic and political reforms ended in fiasco, as the “Damascus Spring” eventually “turned into a harsh winter.” It soon became clear that Bashar “was incapable of bringing about the hoped-for changes.” Despite Bashar’s inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric, his actual policy was cautious, like his father’s. So far, Bashar has refrained from making irrevocable mistakes. According to Zisser, Syria-watchers have raised doubts as to whether or not he is really in charge. Many now question whether Bashar will survive in power for long. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through practitioners. — D. Peretz, emeritus, SUNY at Binghamton

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