The Origins of the Syrian Conflict

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'This excellent book seriously engages with the climate-conflict thesis that drought and climate change propelled the Syrian uprising. The lesson here that environmental ideology matters is important for Syria and the wider Global South. It should be read by anyone interested in understanding Syria's pre-conflict political landscape, especially those who remain convinced that climate change alone produced the conflict.' Samer Abboud, Villanova University 'Marwa Daoudy's book provides a much needed qualitative analysis of the complex relationship between climatic changes and political violence. By moving beyond simplistic claims that climate change causes civil wars her book adds a lot to our understanding of how climatic conditions relate to the causes and consequences of the conflict in Syria.' Thomas Bernauer, ETH Zuerich 'Was the Syrian conflict caused by climate induced drought? This important book offers an insightful and comprehensive answer to this timely question. Drawing on original interviews, fieldwork, publicly available and classified documents she refutes the popular view that climate change was the main causal driver of this conflict and instead shines a light on elite driven unsustainable water and agricultural policies. An impressive book and a must read for anyone who wants to understand the complex nexus between climate change and security.' Rita Floyd, University of Birmingham 'This is an erudite, paradigmatic study of the origins of the ongoing Syrian civil war that commenced in March 2011 ... Every policy maker in the US government should read this book.' R. W. Olson, Choice