"A fluent introduction to Syria's recent past, this book provides the
backstory to the country's collapse into brutal civil conflict" (Andrew
Arsan, author of Lebanon: A Country in Fragments).
The fall of Syria into civil war over the past two years has spawned a
regional crisis with reverberations growing louder in each passing
month. In this timely account, John McHugo seeks to contextualize the
headlines, providing broad historical perspective and a richly layered
analysis of a country few in the United States know or understand.
McHugo charts the history of Syria from World War I to the tumultuous
present, examining the country's thwarted attempts at independence, the
French policies that sowed the seeds of internal strife, and the
fragility of its foundations as a nation. He then turns to more recent
events: religious and sectarian tensions that have divided Syria, the
pressures of the Cold War and the Arab-Israeli conflict, and two
generations of rule by the Assads.
The result is a fresh and rigorous narrative that explains both the
creation and unraveling of the current regime and the roots of the
broader Middle East conflict. As the Syrian civil war threatens to draw
the US military once again into the Middle East, here is a rare and
authoritative guide to a complex nation that demands our attention.
"Scholarly but accessible and of much interest to those with an eye on
geopolitical matters." --Kirkus Reviews
"Useful as a concise overview of independent Syria's most important
movements and personalities, McHugo's book gives readers the basic
background necessary to understand the country." --Publishers Weekly
