Syrian Requiem: The Civil War and Its Aftermath

by Itamar Rabinovich, Carmit Valensi

A compact, incisive history of one of the defining conflicts of our time



Leaving almost half a million dead and displacing an estimated twelve million people, the Syrian Civil War is a humanitarian catastrophe of unimaginable scale. Syrian Requiem analyzes the causes and course of this bitter conflict--from its first spark in a peaceful Arab Spring protest to the tenuous victory of the Asad dictatorship--and traces how the fighting has reduced Syria to a crisis-ridden vassal state with little prospect of political reform, national reconciliation, or economic reconstruction.

Israel's chief negotiator with Syria during the mid-1990s, Itamar Rabinovich brings unmatched expertise and insight to the politics of the Middle East. Drawing on more than two hundred specially conducted interviews with key players, Rabinovich and Carmit Valensi assess the roles of local, regional, and global interests in the war. Local sectarian divisions established the fault lines of the initial conflict, ultimately leading to the rise of the brutal Islamic State. However, Syria rapidly became the stage for proxy warfare between contending regional powers, including Israel, Turkey, and Iran. At the same time, while a war-weary United States attempted to reduce its military involvement in the Middle East, a resurgent Russia regained regional influence by supporting Syrian government forces. Telling the story of the war and its aftermath, Rabinovich and Valensi also examine the considerable potential for renewed conflict and the difficult policy choices facing the United States, Russia, and other powers.

A compact and incisive history of one of the defining wars of our times, Syrian Requiem is a vivid and timely account of a conflict that continues to reverberate today.

Genres: History, Middle East, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published February 16, 2021

Reviews

[Kate Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focuses almost exclusively on broad-strokes politics. Useful as a quick orientation piece, introducing the various actors and how they fit together. Very little concrete about specific events, military or otherwise, however, and hardly anything about civilians at all.

[Count Gravlax · Rating 4 out of 5]

An at the same time dry and riveting history of the ongoing civil war. I would however criticise the fact that Rabinovitch downplays the US and Israel's participation in the conflict. At no moment the words "Timber Sycamore" appear in the book, even though this was the weapons supply program run by the CIA for the benefit of a number of opposition groups in Syria, including Islamists groups. The book also does not tackle indications that Israel provided logistical and medical supports to extremists groups such as Al-Nusra, claims supported by even a former head of the Mossad.

I'm a realist and I don't think that the Syrian Civil War will end with everybody holding hands and making peace. Someone will win, and I rather have that someone be pro-Western and pro-Israel than the mess that the Assad government is. But historical analysis is different from a propaganda piece, and the former must be clear and sincere in its observations. So, if you wish to read this book, do - but be aware of the writer's bias.

[SpaceBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed if slightly dry account of the Syrian war, focussing mostly on the foreign policies of key actors (Syria, US, Russia, Iran, Israel), as well as discussions of the internal alliances that held up the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Relatively little on the humanitarian crisis or conduct of the war.

[Christian Gacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un livre de synthèse assez intéressant et peu biaisé. Un bon moyen pour faire le point sur cette guerre sans fin.

[amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

icky, like why.

[FellowBibliophile KvK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb overview of the course and the players of the pre-2024 Syrian Civil War.