Syria from Reform to Revolt - (Modern Intellectual and Political History of the Middle East) by Raymond Hinnebusch & Tina Zintl (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When Bashar al-Asad smoothly assumed power in July 2000, just seven days after the death of his father, observers were divided on what this would mean for the country's foreign and domestic politics. On the one hand, it seemed everything would stay the same: an Asad on top of a political system controlled by secret services and Baathist one-party rule. On the other hand, it looked like everything would be different: a young president with exposure to Western education who, in his inaugural speech, emphasized his determination to modernize Syria.

This volume explores the ways in which Asad's domestic and foreign policy strategies during his first decade in power safeguarded his rule and adapted Syria to the age of globalization. The volume's contributors examine multiple aspects of Asad's rule in the 2000s, from power consolidation within the party and control of the opposition to economic reform, co-opting new private charities, and coping with Iraqi refugees. The Syrian regime temporarily succeeded in reproducing its power and legitimacy, in reconstructing its social base, and in managing regional and international challenges. At the same time, contributors clearly detail the shortcomings, inconsistencies, and risks these policies entailed, illustrating why Syria's tenuous stability came to an abrupt end during the Arab Spring of 2011. This volume presents the work of an international group of scholars from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. Based on extensive fieldwork and on intimate knowledge of a country whose dynamics often seem complicated and obscure to outside observers, these scholars' insightful snapshots of Bashar al-Asad's decade of authoritarian upgrading provide an indispensable resource for understanding the current crisis and its disastrous consequences.

Review Quotes

The contradictions--of a decade long policy, adeptly analyzed in this compelling volume--help to understand the complexities of Syria's courageous uprising, which the regime pushed into s tragic, heartbreaking 'civil war.'-- "Review of Middle East Studies"

This book presents quite a good reference source for those scholars and policy makers engaged in discussions on what might be done in Syria once the guns are laid down: namely, the high risks involved in any pattern of reform that excludes and marginalizes large sections of society.-- "Middle East Policy"

This is the best edited or single-authored book yet to appear regarding the history of Syria and the al-Asad regime from 2000 to the outbreak of civil war in March 2011.-- "Choice"

This volume expertly lays out pre-conflict Syria, i.e. the first decade of Bashar al-Assad's rule immediately preceding the uprising that broke out in 2011. It provides a political, economic, and social backdrop to the uprising, detailing the underlying factors that made Syria combustible in the year of the Arab Spring. In so doing, the book also shows us why the Syrian conflict has taken such a different trajectory than the convulsions we have witnessed in other Arab countries. I highly recommend it for courses on international relations, revolution, and modern Middle East politics and culture.--David Lesch "author of Syria: The Fall of the House of Assad"

About the Author

Raymond Hinnebusch is professor in the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. He is the author of several books, including The International Politics of the Middle East.

Tina Zintl is academic coordinator and lecturer in Middle East and Comparative Politics at the University of Tübingen, Germany.