Bibliotheken Online

Power and policy in Syria

intelligence services, foreign relations and democracy in the modern Middle East

Radwan Ziadeh

Buch

englisch

Ziadeh, Radwan (Verfasser/-in) DNB

I.B. Tauris

London

2013

228 p.

978-1-78076-290-6

Includes bibliographical references and index.

foreign policy
conflict, regional
history
syria
democracy

Summary:
In an unstable Middle East, beset by regional tensions and repercussions of the global war on terror, Syria is a key player. 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-e-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.



Table of Contents:
Terms of Use
Acronyms and Abbreviationsp. vii
Preface and Acknowledgementsp. ix
1Birth of the Third Republic and Establishing Syrian Authoritarianismp. 1
The Third Republic and Syrian Authoritarianismp. 1
The Third Republic and the Pyramid-building Theoryp. 14
The Governmental Administrationp. 20
The Ba'th Partyp. 20
The Security Organsp. 23
Asad's Heritagep. 27
The Syrian Elite and Democracyp. 33
2Inheriting Syria from Father to Son: Hafez al-Asad's Last Daysp. 37
Transfer of Powerp. 45
Bashar al-Asad and the Game of the 'Old Guard'p. 48
Political Institutions in the Era of Bashar al-Asadp. 54
3Damascus Spring: The Rise of the Opposition in Syriap. 61
4Bashar al-Asad and Foreign Policyp. 77
Foreign Policy Decision-makingp. 77
Syrian-Lebanese Relationships: Discomfort in the Brotherhoodp. 98
Syrian-Lebanese Relations after 2000p. 108
Syria after the Lebanon War: Reviving its Regional Rolep. 114
The Syrian-Arab Disagreement during the Warp. 116
Putting an End to the Warp. 118
Syria's Return to Active Diplomacyp. 121
The Syrian Exploitation of the Warp. 122
Syria's Foreign-policy Challengesp. 123
5The Challenge of Political Islam: Muslim Brotherhood and Democracyp. 129
The Early Relationship between Religion and State in Syriap. 130
The Establishments of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syriap. 133
Double Religious Containment Policyp. 139
Climax of Armed Conflictp. 140
The Rise of the Religious Tide in Syriap. 151
Conclusionp. 155
Notesp. 157
Referencesp. 197
Indexp. 221

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