Syrian Civil War
The Essential Reference Guide
Published on 30. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
280 pages
979-8-216-46461-7 (ISBN)
Description
This invaluable resource provides students with a comprehensive overview of the Syrian Civil War, with roughly 100 in-depth articles by leading scholars on an array of key topics and several important primary source documents.
This important work provides a thorough introduction to the origins, events, and impact of the devastating Syrian Civil War, illuminating the complexities and the consequences of this long-lasting conflict. From the emergence of the war in early 2011 following the Arab Spring that swept across the Middle East, to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), through the re-establishing of control of most of the country by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's armed forces by late 2018, this comprehensive work covers every aspect of this conflict that has devastated millions.
The book begins with a detailed overview of the Syrian Civil War that provides context to each of the reference entries that follow. The introductory material also includes essays on the causes and consequences of the war. Next comes the A-Z reference entries on such topics as Bashar al-Assad, chemical weapons, the refugee crisis, the Battle of Saraqeb, and White Helmets. In addition, the book includes about a dozen curated and contextualized primary source documents along with a comprehensive chronology and an extensive bibliography.
This important work provides a thorough introduction to the origins, events, and impact of the devastating Syrian Civil War, illuminating the complexities and the consequences of this long-lasting conflict. From the emergence of the war in early 2011 following the Arab Spring that swept across the Middle East, to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), through the re-establishing of control of most of the country by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's armed forces by late 2018, this comprehensive work covers every aspect of this conflict that has devastated millions.
The book begins with a detailed overview of the Syrian Civil War that provides context to each of the reference entries that follow. The introductory material also includes essays on the causes and consequences of the war. Next comes the A-Z reference entries on such topics as Bashar al-Assad, chemical weapons, the refugee crisis, the Battle of Saraqeb, and White Helmets. In addition, the book includes about a dozen curated and contextualized primary source documents along with a comprehensive chronology and an extensive bibliography.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
532 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-216-46461-7 (9798216464617)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Robert M. Kerr, PhD, is Associate Professor of international security and military studies at the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College, USA.
Content
List of Entries
List of Primary Documents
Overview of the Syrian Civil War
Causes of the Syrian Civil War
Consequences of the Syrian Civil War
A-Z Entries
Al-Abbas Brigade
Alawites/Alawis
Aleppo
Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat al-Nusra)
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qubeir Massacre
Al-Qusayr Offensive
Al-Sham
Arab League
Arab Spring
Armenians
Army of Conquest/Jaish al-Fatah (JAF)
Assad, Bashar al Assad, Hafez al Assyrians
Ba'athism
Baghdadi, Abu Bakr al Battle of Haffah
Battle of Maaloula
Battle of Saraqeb
Binnish
Carter, Ashton "Ash"
Chemical Weapons and Warfare
Christian Militias in Syria
Circassians
Dabiq (Magazine)
Dabiq (Place)
Damascus
Daraa Offensive
Druze
Erdogan, Recep Tayyip
Free Syrian Army
Golan Heights
Hezbollah
Homs
Idlib
International Syria Support Group (ISSG)
Iran
Iraq
Islamic Front
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)
Israel
Jabal al-Zawiya
Jihad
Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG)
Kurdistan
Latakia
Maarrat al-Nu'man/Al-Ma'arra
National Coordination Committee/Body
for Democratic Change
National Defence Force
Obama, Barack
Operation Euphrates Shield
Operation Shader
Operation Wrath of Euphrates
Palmyra
Peshmerga
Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine-General Command
(PFLP-GC)
Putin, Vladimir
Refugee Crisis
Russia
Salafism
Shabiha
Shia Islam
Sunni Islam
Sykes-Picot Agreement
Syria
Syrian Armed Forces
Syrian Democratic Forces
Syrian Electronic Army (SEA)
Trump, Donald J.
Turkey
Turkmani, Hassan al United States, Middle East Policy
Weapons of Mass Destruction
White Helmets
Primary Documents
1. Executive Order 13582-Blocking Property of the Government of Syria and Prohibiting
Certain Transactions with Respect to Syria (August 18, 2011)
2. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2042 (April 14, 2012)
3. President Barack H. Obama: Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation on Syria
(September 10, 2013)
4. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2118 (September 27, 2013)
5. Vladimir Putin's Address Following Adoption of a Joint Statement by Russia and the
United States on Syria (February 22, 2016)
6. Presidential Memorandum on the Plan to Defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (January 28, 2017)
7. President Donald J. Trump, Statement on the Anniversary of the 2013 Syrian Chemical
Weapons Attack (August 21, 2017)
8. Statement by President Trump on Syria (April 13, 2018)
9. United Nations General Assembly Summary Report on the High-Level Panel Discussion on Violations of the Human Rights of Children in the Syrian Arab Republic (May 15,
2018)
10. Statement by H. E. Walid al-Moualem, Deputy Prime Minister of the Syrian Arab Republic,
Made to the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (September 29, 2018)
11. Letter from the Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation,
and Turkey to the United Nations (February 18, 2019)
12. Statement by UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie as Syria Crisis Enters Its Ninth Year
(March 14, 2019)
13. Statement of the Secretary-General on Syria (March 15, 2019)
Chronology
Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index
About the Editor
List of Primary Documents
Overview of the Syrian Civil War
Causes of the Syrian Civil War
Consequences of the Syrian Civil War
A-Z Entries
Al-Abbas Brigade
Alawites/Alawis
Aleppo
Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat al-Nusra)
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qubeir Massacre
Al-Qusayr Offensive
Al-Sham
Arab League
Arab Spring
Armenians
Army of Conquest/Jaish al-Fatah (JAF)
Assad, Bashar al Assad, Hafez al Assyrians
Ba'athism
Baghdadi, Abu Bakr al Battle of Haffah
Battle of Maaloula
Battle of Saraqeb
Binnish
Carter, Ashton "Ash"
Chemical Weapons and Warfare
Christian Militias in Syria
Circassians
Dabiq (Magazine)
Dabiq (Place)
Damascus
Daraa Offensive
Druze
Erdogan, Recep Tayyip
Free Syrian Army
Golan Heights
Hezbollah
Homs
Idlib
International Syria Support Group (ISSG)
Iran
Iraq
Islamic Front
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)
Israel
Jabal al-Zawiya
Jihad
Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG)
Kurdistan
Latakia
Maarrat al-Nu'man/Al-Ma'arra
National Coordination Committee/Body
for Democratic Change
National Defence Force
Obama, Barack
Operation Euphrates Shield
Operation Shader
Operation Wrath of Euphrates
Palmyra
Peshmerga
Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine-General Command
(PFLP-GC)
Putin, Vladimir
Refugee Crisis
Russia
Salafism
Shabiha
Shia Islam
Sunni Islam
Sykes-Picot Agreement
Syria
Syrian Armed Forces
Syrian Democratic Forces
Syrian Electronic Army (SEA)
Trump, Donald J.
Turkey
Turkmani, Hassan al United States, Middle East Policy
Weapons of Mass Destruction
White Helmets
Primary Documents
1. Executive Order 13582-Blocking Property of the Government of Syria and Prohibiting
Certain Transactions with Respect to Syria (August 18, 2011)
2. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2042 (April 14, 2012)
3. President Barack H. Obama: Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation on Syria
(September 10, 2013)
4. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2118 (September 27, 2013)
5. Vladimir Putin's Address Following Adoption of a Joint Statement by Russia and the
United States on Syria (February 22, 2016)
6. Presidential Memorandum on the Plan to Defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (January 28, 2017)
7. President Donald J. Trump, Statement on the Anniversary of the 2013 Syrian Chemical
Weapons Attack (August 21, 2017)
8. Statement by President Trump on Syria (April 13, 2018)
9. United Nations General Assembly Summary Report on the High-Level Panel Discussion on Violations of the Human Rights of Children in the Syrian Arab Republic (May 15,
2018)
10. Statement by H. E. Walid al-Moualem, Deputy Prime Minister of the Syrian Arab Republic,
Made to the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (September 29, 2018)
11. Letter from the Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation,
and Turkey to the United Nations (February 18, 2019)
12. Statement by UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie as Syria Crisis Enters Its Ninth Year
(March 14, 2019)
13. Statement of the Secretary-General on Syria (March 15, 2019)
Chronology
Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index
About the Editor