Syria: Civil War to Holy War?

by Charles Glass

How did the Syrian regime fall? Gradually, then all at once.

In December 2024, the long and bloody stalemate in Syria broke down. In a transformation breathtaking for its suddenness and speed, President Bashar al-Assad, the beating heart of Arab authoritarianism, fled to Russia, his dungeons emptying as rebels overcame the Syrian army with scarcely a fight.

Euphoria at the collapse of a government people never voted for was tempered by fear for the future. The victorious insurgents were supported by outside powers and had a track record of brutality comparable to Assad’s in addition to religious fanaticism. Syrians—whose fragile, cosmopolitan mosaic has been repeatedly shattered by foreign-backed sectarians—faced rule by an avowedly Islamist regime that pledged to break with its past and show tolerance to all religious communities.

In this illuminating and concise survey, Charles Glass shows how Assad’s misrule, Sunni fundamentalism, and Western deceit combined to create and prolong the Syrian disaster, which since 2011 has claimed more than two hundred thousand lives and driven more than eight million people from their homes.

Glass has reported extensively from the Middle East and travelled frequently in Syria for more than fifty years. Here he melds reportage, analysis, and history to provide an accessible overview of the origins and permutations defining the conflict, situating it clearly in the broader crises of the region.

In this new and thoroughly revised edition of his earlier Syria Burning, Glass brings the story to the present, showing how we got here and what a post-Assad settlement might bring.

Genres: Politics, International

294 pages, Paperback

Published April 22, 2025

About the author

Charles Glass is an author, journalist and broadcaster, who specializes in the Middle East. He made headlines when taken hostage for 62 days in Lebanon by Shi’a militants in 1987, while writing a book during his time as ABC’s News chief Middle East correspondent. He writes regularly for the New York Review of Books, Harper’s, the London Review of Books and The Spectator. He is the author of Syria Burning, Tribes with Flags, Money for Old Rope, The Tribes Triumphant, The Northern Front, Americans in Paris and Deserters: A Hidden History of World War II.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not familiar with Charles Glass but I read this based on Aaron Mate's preface. this is a timely book, cutting through the mainstream media and various Propaganda, offering a sober developing analysis of what went wrong in Syria. Sadly it seems like we are just at the beginning of a further descent into darkness. important read.

[wizard · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is not structured, doesn’t read as a coherent and clear story and has no clear goal or storyline. It is unknown to the reader what the writer is talking about. See it as one big heap of the authors experiences in Syria, without any leading line of narration. One big structureless mess.

The story ends abruptly, as vague as the storyline itself. After the last page it leaves you thinking: so? What is the main message? What was the main point? Did we even answer what the title suggests the story is about? No, we did not. We wasted time.

Its biggest problem was the research bias. The author writes as if he is stating facts. But his facts are based on his own experiences. The book is sold as a ‘guide’ to Syria’s war, but it is more a personal view on the war. This is problematic. If you’re writing about your own experiences as a journalist it should be stated as such. This is in no way or form a factual analysis of Syria.

For example, in the book the author blames every problem in Syria to Turkey. He talked more about Turkey than about any other actor, perhaps even more than Assad himself. This bias impacts the whole narration. The author states Turkey is the biggest sponsor of ISIS. The proof hereof is because an ‘Armenian farmer told him so’. And because Bush said so in his speech. To him, this is enough proof of such a claim. He says Turkeys human rights are no better than that of Syria. No numbers or explanation followed. He focusses on losses by Syrias minorities, forgetting about the suffering of Sunni Muslims in Syria as well. Sunni Muslims are almost only mentioned in context of jihadism. And to him, the Turks are annihilating the innocent Kurdish militias in Syria, who are the saviors, who are the only ones fighting against the bad guys, against ISIS. Barely mentioning these Kurdish militias by their name; namely terrorist organizations YPG and PKK who have murdered and kidnapped Kurds, Turks, Syrians, since decades. There you go with your loved saviors.

This book is proof that you cannot buy any book about the Middle East without prior research about the author.

[Tony Gualtieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reads like a collection of dispatches that don’t quite cohere into a history. It seems to be the best available book in English on the Syrian civil war, but for all the description, I didn’t leave with an understanding of why events played out as they did. It’s significant that while we get glimpses of decisions made in Washington, Moscow, and to some extent Ankara, there are only a couple of references to Israel’s involvement in this tragedy.

[H KiLas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author offers a compelling blend of sharp political insight and on-the-ground storytelling. His deep understanding of Syria’s conflict shines through, not just in the analysis, but in the personal anecdotes and interviews in each chapter.
What I appreciated most were the historical tangents, from Palmyra’s ancient queen to the Armenian genocide, woven seamlessly into the narrative. These detours give depth and context, helping the reader grasp Syria not just as a warzone, but as a layered, complex place with a long history.
The book’s greatest strength is also its main weakness: rather than following a strict chronological timeline, it paints the war phase by phase, highlighting specific moments and scenes that illustrate the bigger picture. While this makes for an engaging and vivid read, it sometimes skips over key political shifts that are essential for fully understanding the broader dynamics of the conflict.

[Myriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sobering, authentic account of the Syrian war from the very beginning to the very end (which is also the start of a new challenge). I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about the beginnings of the Syrian war and atrocities that went on from all actors. It features the voices of Syrians from so many different mosaics of our beautiful society - Armenians, Druze, Christians, Alawis, etc. This is real account from someone on the ground, rather than a filtered voice praising the Western military-industrial complex. At first I bought the book only because of Aaron Mate's introduction, but am happy that I've now been introduced to Glass' work.

[Vincent Vertuccio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good history of the Syrian Civil War that weaves a lot of deep historical context on the actions of the Ottoman, French, and British Empires + plus decades of American adventurism and CIA interventions. Written kind of as a serial based on reports from Glass' visits to Syria at various times, so you get some redundany but it helps advance your understanding and nails key points. Searing indictment of US policymaker navel gazing and strategic failures.

[Declan Franks · Rating 5 out of 5]

goated book and I don't say that lightly.