Description
Table of ContentsAuthor InfoReviewsBibliographic Info
In the midst of turmoil in the Middle East, and in the face of protests and demonstrations from Homs to Damascus and other places all over Syria, the Ba'th Party and Bashar al-Asad are truly caught up in a struggle to hold onto power in Syria. In this important book, Nikolaos van Dam explores and explains how the Asad dynasty has come to rule Syria for about half a century and keep the complex patchwork of minorities, factions and opponents securely under control for such an unprecedented long period. Through an in-depth examination of the role of sectarian, regional and tribal loyalties, van Dam traces developments within the Ba'th party and the military and civilian power elite from the 1963 Ba'thist takeover up to the present day.
Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: The rise of minorities in the Syrian armed forces and in the Ba'th Party
Chapter 3: Sectarian polarisation in the Syrian armed forces between Sunnis and religious minorities
Chapter 4: The purge of Druze officers in the Syrian armed forces
Chapter 5: The struggle for power within the Alawi community
Chapter 6: Sectarian and regional factionalism in the Syrian political elite: a statistical analysis
Chapter 7: Sectarian provocation and confrontation
Chapter 8: Sectarian showdown: eradication of the Muslim Brotherhood
Chapter 9: The power elite under Hafiz al-Asad
Chapter 10: Conclusions
Chapter 11: Syrian Ba'thist memoir
Nikolaos van Dam is a specialist on Syria and has served as Ambassador of the Netherlands to Indonesia, Germany, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq.
[A] monumental work on Syrian power politics.
– Robert Fisk, The Independent
An excellent book.
– Patrick Seale
An admirable study… invaluable for anyone with a serious interest in Middle Eastern politics.
– Peter Mansfield
The most informative explanation of the effects of sectarianism and regionalism on Syrian politics.
– Philip S. Khoury, MERIP Reports
[An] excellent study of the sectarian bases of Syrian politics
– Foreign Affairs
Only a handful of important books have been written on modern Syria; and Nikolaos van Dam’s The Struggle for Power in Syria is one of them.
– Joshua Landis, International Journal of Middle East Studies
Imprint: I.B.Tauris
Publisher: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
Paperback
ISBN: 9781848857605
Publication Date: 30 May 2011
Number of Pages: 272
Height: 216
Width: 134
In the midst of turmoil in the Middle East, and in the face of protests and demonstrations from Homs to Damascus and other places all over Syria, the Ba'th Party and Bashar al-Asad are truly caught up in a struggle to hold onto power in Syria. In this important book, Nikolaos van Dam explores and explains how the Asad dynasty has come to rule Syria for about half a century and keep the complex patchwork of minorities, factions and opponents securely under control for such an unprecedented long period. Through an in-depth examination of the role of sectarian, regional and tribal loyalties, van Dam traces developments within the Ba'th party and the military and civilian power elite from the 1963 Ba'thist takeover up to the present day.
Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: The rise of minorities in the Syrian armed forces and in the Ba'th Party
Chapter 3: Sectarian polarisation in the Syrian armed forces between Sunnis and religious minorities
Chapter 4: The purge of Druze officers in the Syrian armed forces
Chapter 5: The struggle for power within the Alawi community
Chapter 6: Sectarian and regional factionalism in the Syrian political elite: a statistical analysis
Chapter 7: Sectarian provocation and confrontation
Chapter 8: Sectarian showdown: eradication of the Muslim Brotherhood
Chapter 9: The power elite under Hafiz al-Asad
Chapter 10: Conclusions
Chapter 11: Syrian Ba'thist memoir
Nikolaos van Dam is a specialist on Syria and has served as Ambassador of the Netherlands to Indonesia, Germany, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq.
[A] monumental work on Syrian power politics.
– Robert Fisk, The Independent
An excellent book.
– Patrick Seale
An admirable study… invaluable for anyone with a serious interest in Middle Eastern politics.
– Peter Mansfield
The most informative explanation of the effects of sectarianism and regionalism on Syrian politics.
– Philip S. Khoury, MERIP Reports
[An] excellent study of the sectarian bases of Syrian politics
– Foreign Affairs
Only a handful of important books have been written on modern Syria; and Nikolaos van Dam’s The Struggle for Power in Syria is one of them.
– Joshua Landis, International Journal of Middle East Studies
Imprint: I.B.Tauris
Publisher: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
PaperbackISBN: 9781848857605
Publication Date: 30 May 2011
Number of Pages: 272
Height: 216
Width: 134