Democratic Desert: The War in Syria

by Robert King

Since February of 2012 Robert King has documented an unprecedented tragedy of the blatant targeting of civilians and hospitals by the al-Assad regime as well as a number of other serious human rights violations and war crimes. As the conflict is entering its third year there has been little if any international support from democratic leaders to end the killing despite the fact that over 100,000 Syrians have been killed, as well as over 28,000 have gone missing. 4.5 million Syrians are dispaced within their country and over 1.5 million Syrians are now refugees in neighboring countries. "As a photographer it is not my job to aspire towards aesthetically pleasing images of war that are palatable to the public or the photographic community. I have found, many viewers find it easier to condemn the image maker rather than the perpetrators of war crimes against humanity." Democratic Desert is the first comprehensive photo journlistic book about the war in Syria. Robert King entered the country when almost all conflict photographers left, and he stayed. Therefore King is the only photographer able to show us what really happens there. This book shows a gruesome story without any constraint. In contains a DVD with a forceful documentary film made by King during his stay in Syria.

255 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 2014