What do you think?
Rate this book
Power and Policy in Syria: Intelligence Services, Foreign Relations and Democracy in the Modern Middle East
As Bashar al-Asad rescinds emergency rule in the face of demonstrations and protests, Syria finds itself in a key position in a Middle East beset by regional tensions, the repercussions of the global ""war on terror"" and popular uprisings. The bloodless coup by General Hafez al-Assad, in 1970, put in place a powerful autocratic machinery at the core of the state which continues today under the control of his son Bashar. Here, Radwan Ziadeh presents a fresh and penetrating analysis of Syria's political structure - a ""despotic"" state monopoly, a bureaucratic climate marked by fear, and the administrative structure through which centralized control is exercised. With a focus on Syria's intelligence services which have significant influence in legal and policy decisions, and the conditions and patterns of foreign policy decision-making, particularly vis-à-vis the US, Power and Policy in Syria is essential reading for all those interested in Syria, the modern Middle East, International Relations, and Security Studies.
- GenresHistoryMiddle East
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2010
2 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 2, 2018
”Power and Policy in Syria” is a somewhat interesting read for those who are well informed about the history of Syria and the politics of the Assad-regime. An interesting feature is that it was published just as the civil war broke out i 2011, and then revised in 2013 as the insurgency had gained significant momentum. Ziaded writes in the 2013 preface that eventually the Assad-regime ”will be forced to leave” and "the determination of the freedom fighters will make the end of the regime a matter of time”. As we now know in 2018, that collapse came close but was an illusion as Assads allies stepped in to save him. The oppositions’ foreign backers eventually shifted focus and pushed regime change in Syria way down on their priority list. In my view the book is best when describing the decision-making process in the regime, the central role off Hafiz and Bashar, and the various power struggles over the past 50 years in Syrian society and politics, up to the civil war in 2011.
In five chapters Ziadeh provides some insights and analysis of the political structure of the regime; the authoritarian character, the administrative structure through which control is exercised; the role and influence of the security services (referred to as intelligence services); and foreign policy decision-making. Chapter one is lays out the establishment of the modern Syrian state (Third republic), and the authoritarian system built by Hafiz al-Asad. This is a well written oversight of the subject. With Nicolaos van Dam (1996) this period is now well analysed. Chapter two Ziaded sheds light on the transition from Hafiz to Bashar al-Asad in 2000 and lays out quite clearly how little that changed in that period. There were hopes that the transition would welcome some political changes as illustrated in the brief ”Damascus Spring” which is the topic of chapter three. Chapter four is a well written chapter on Syrian foreign policy and decision-making, especially with regards to Lebanon. In the final chapter Ziadeh describes the role of Islamism in Syria and how that has shaped the political landscape, such as the civil war of the late 1970s that ended with the crushing of the Muslim Brothers in Hama in february in 1982. This history helps us understand how the regime thinks towards (Islamist) political opposition and the response to the opposition from 2011 should come as no surprise.
The structure of the book could have been better and does not cover all of Syria’s foreign and defense policy issues, such as the crisis with Turkey in 1999 and improved relations, until 2011. A concluding chapter would have improved the book significantly.
In five chapters Ziadeh provides some insights and analysis of the political structure of the regime; the authoritarian character, the administrative structure through which control is exercised; the role and influence of the security services (referred to as intelligence services); and foreign policy decision-making. Chapter one is lays out the establishment of the modern Syrian state (Third republic), and the authoritarian system built by Hafiz al-Asad. This is a well written oversight of the subject. With Nicolaos van Dam (1996) this period is now well analysed. Chapter two Ziaded sheds light on the transition from Hafiz to Bashar al-Asad in 2000 and lays out quite clearly how little that changed in that period. There were hopes that the transition would welcome some political changes as illustrated in the brief ”Damascus Spring” which is the topic of chapter three. Chapter four is a well written chapter on Syrian foreign policy and decision-making, especially with regards to Lebanon. In the final chapter Ziadeh describes the role of Islamism in Syria and how that has shaped the political landscape, such as the civil war of the late 1970s that ended with the crushing of the Muslim Brothers in Hama in february in 1982. This history helps us understand how the regime thinks towards (Islamist) political opposition and the response to the opposition from 2011 should come as no surprise.
The structure of the book could have been better and does not cover all of Syria’s foreign and defense policy issues, such as the crisis with Turkey in 1999 and improved relations, until 2011. A concluding chapter would have improved the book significantly.
Displaying 1 of 1 review