Power and Policy in Syria
Intelligence Services, Foreign Relations and Democracy in the Modern Middle East
Published on 7. December 2010
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-84885-434-5 (ISBN)
Description
As Bashar al-Asad rescinds emergency rule in the face of demonstrations and protests, Syria finds itself in a key position in a Middle East beset by regional tensions, the repercussions of the global 'war on terror' and popular uprisings. The bloodless coup by General Hafez al-Assad, in 1970, put in place a powerful autocratic machinery at the core of the state which continues till today under the control of his son Bashar. Here Radwan Ziadeh presents a fresh and penetrating analysis of Syria's political structure - a 'despotic' state monopoly, a bureaucratic climate marked by fear, and the administrative structure through which centralized control is exercised. With a focus on Syria's intelligence services which have significant influence in legal and policy decisions, and the conditions and patterns of foreign policy decision-making, particularly vis-a-vis the US, "Power and Policy in Syria" is essential reading for all those interested in Syria, the modern Middle East, International Relations and Security Studies.
Reviews / Votes
"'Radwan Ziadeh brings unique qualifications to this superb study of contemporary Syrian politics. As a scholar-activist, he captures the internal workings of Syria's reform movements with nuance, detail and insight that are unmatched, bringing to life political currents and trends in Syria that are often opaque to outsiders. This is an important work. It deserves to be widely read.' - Steven Heydemann, Vice President of the United States Institute of Peace, and author of 'Authoritarianism in Syria' 'This is both an insider's account of the political awakening in Syria at the beginning of this century; and a sober, intelligent analysis of political structures and developments under Bashar al-Assad's rule.' - Volker Perthes, Director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, and author of 'The Political Economy of Syria under Assad'"More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
5 bw line drawings, 5 bw integrated illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 134 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-84885-434-5 (9781848854345)
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
Other editions
Additional editions
Radwan Ziadeh
Power and Policy in Syria
Intelligence Services, Foreign Relations and Democracy in the Modern Middle East
E-Book
12/2012
1st Edition
I.B. Tauris
€21.99
Available for download
Person
Radwan Ziadeh is a Visiting Scholar at the Carr Center for Human Rights of Harvard University and Visiting Fellow at Chatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs) in London. He is the founding director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Washington D.C., and has been a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace. He is the recipient of the MESA Academic Freedom Award (2009).