While syria s fight remains a struggle largely fought by syrians focused on their. Syria is the swing state in middle eastern political struggles. Yang likens hus historical role to that of tan sitong, a martyr of the 1898 reform movement from hus home county of hunan. The free syrian army fsa is an armed opposition organization conducting operations in syria against bashar alasads baathist regime. Scenarios and policy options for the international community. What syrias power struggle means council on foreign. The struggle for power in syria by nikolaos van dam. Struggle for syria, 19471958 between accommodation and ideology joshua teitelbaum although syria gained independence in 1946, its independence was initially nominal.
Request pdf on jan 1, 2012, jorgen jensehaugen and others published the struggle for power in. Gen adnan assad, a cousin of the late syrian president, hafez assad. The regional struggle for syria edited by julien barnesdacey. The kurdish parts of syria will undoubtedly become the focus of the power struggle that is emerging in the region over syria, said joshua landis, a syria expert at the center for middle east. First, lebanon is a liberal society with a free market. Initially, the fsa was formed to defend civilians in locations where protests. While syrias fight remains a struggle largely fought by syrians focused on their. The shiite jihad in syria and its regional effects phillip smyth. The muslim brotherhood and the struggle for syria, 1947. Isis and the third wave of jihadism 341 aladnani, to a request more than a year ago by rival militant islamists in syria who called for isis to submit to a sharia court so that a dispute with. A battleground when it is weak, it became a major regional actor when the state was consolidated under hafiz alasad.
The capitulation of france in june 1940 brought vichyappointed general henri dentz as high commissioner and a new cabinet headed by khalid al azm, a wealthy landlord from an old damascus family who was to play a leading role in syrian politics 22 years later. More than 700,000 members of the syria campaign have. The uprising became militarized in autumn 2011 with the creation of the free syria army. The outcome of the kurdish struggle in syria and neighboring countries is intimately tied to unfolding of the revolutionary civil. Come browse our large digital warehouse of free sample essays. The syrian government facilitated the flow of extremists and foreign fighters through its territory, permitting them to use syria as a transit point for.
Politics and society under asad and the bath party. On the road in syria, struggle all around the new york times. The assyrian struggle for independence was waged by the assyrian patriarch and the chiefs assyrian. Killing the truth how russia is fuelling a disinformation campaign to cover up war crimes in syria. The overlapping domestic, regional, and international struggle for syria is yet another chapter in the grand geopolitical contest underway between saudi arabia and iran and their respective allies, unleashed after the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation of iraq by the united states. On 6 october 1973, syria and egypt initiated the yom kippur war against israel. Seven years on since the syrian conflict began, more than 350,000 syrians are dead and almost half the population has been displaced from their homes. The syria campaign builds global support for syrias heroes in their struggle for a free and peaceful syria. However, consistent armed resistance in idlib emerged in. This is the first episode of syriana analysis series about the struggle of international and regional powers over syria. Politics and society under asad and the bath party 4th edition, 2011. Could a similar powersharing model be applied to todays syria. The struggle for syria in 2011 institute for the study.
Iran to protect its ally in damascus and project power within syria, iraq, and. Paywall free reading of new articles posted daily online and almost a century of archives. Nikolaos van dams the struggle for power in syria and, of course, patrick seales biography of assad. And it is time for their nonkurdish counterparts to devise a credible strategy to reassure all syrians that the neworder vision of the state, minority rights, justice and accountability is both tolerant. Lebanon became the scene of a struggle for power between druzes and maronites, with undertones of social conflict. The aggravated struggle for regional power in the middle. The american government expected iraqi shiites to rise against saddam hussein during the u. Like tan, yang writes, hu is a true son of the people, a flag of hope flying on high, a flag of battle against the forces of evil and corruption. Given the regional power shift generated by the iraq war, sunni gulf.
The present contribution first describes the aggravated middle eastern power competition in the 21st century, thereby emphasizing two aspects. A struggle within a struggle crisis group middle east report n6, 22 january 20 page ii neither fighting nor supporting the regime, while assuming a sceptical approach toward the nonkurdish opposition, viewed as overly arab nationalist and islamist. Women obtained the right to vote in 1949, and their in volvement in politics dates to the struggle for independence from the ottoman empire at the beginning of the last century. In syria an attempt was made to apply the new ottoman administrative system. The first section provides a brief historical overview of sectarianism in syria in order to understand its role in the current conflict. But the new system of taxation and conscription caused unrest.
Since gaining its independence from the french in 1946, syria has had a rocky and troubled history. The power struggle culminated in the november 1970 syrian corrective revolution, a bloodless military overthrow that installed hafez alassad as the strongman of the government. In fact, syria became a local theatre of the cold war, and a place where competing arab blocs vied for control of the newly independent state. Since 2011, syria has been fighting a brutal civil war in which the assad regime with support from russia and iran has used brutal tactics to cling to power. A monumental work on syrian power politics nikolaos van dam robert fisk, the independent an excellent book patrick seale an admirable study. Get the knowledge you need in order to pass your classes and more. The current context is born of the syrian revolution that emerged as part of the arab spring of early 2011. The struggle companies saraya alsira is or was 5,000strong commando force deployed around damascus. Women in syria have a relatively long history of emancipation, and the country is one of the more advanced in the arab world when it comes to womens rights. However, the power struggle within the baath party continued until 1970, when hafez alassad took over.
Isis and the third wave of jihadism current history. External actors and interests as drivers of conflict. Deciphering syrias power dynamics institute of developing. Politics and society under asad and the bath party, by nikolaos van dam. Critics of a syrian taif, a powersharing arrangement between ethnic and confessional communities 2 similar to the lebanese model, hold that there are fundamental differences that make power sharing inapplicable to syria. Research paper syria, iraq and the struggle for power. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
In the midst of turmoil in the middle east, and in the face of protests and demonstrations from homs to damascus and other places all over syria, the bath party and bashar alasad are truly caught up in a struggle to hold onto power in syria. The kurds in syria, a struggle for selfdetermination. Politics and society under asad and the bath party, 4th edition by nikolaos van dam. Read this essay on the kurds in syria, a struggle for selfdetermination. Politics and society under asad and the bath party by nikolaos van dam i. This paper provides context for understanding the cycles of violence in syria. As the syria conflict persists and the humanitarian crisis in the region worsens. The next 20 years were a period of mounting crises. Pdf when the arab spring reached syria, its pharaoh, bashar alassad, was in no mood to give up easily. Just a month ago, the free syrian army appeared to be in disarray.
The iraq and syria border, located between the iraqi city of rabia and the syrian city of alyarubiyah. April, 17, 2011syrian protesters shouts slogans calling for president bashar assad to. Assyrian struggle for independence military wiki fandom. The group was founded by colonel riad alasad, a former syrian air force officer who defected in july 2011. This piece is dedicated to the memory of a true scholar, friend.
Tauris, 2011 if you want to understand the cruel tragedy of syria, there are two books you must read. The struggle for power in syria sectarianism, regionalism, and tribalism in politics, 19611980 2nd ed, 1981. Hafez alassads ability to control syria for 30 years and his sons ability to stay in power for 11 years, to date, derive also from the fact that. The kurdish people have entered a new phase in the struggle to control their future. The regional cold war ten years on, these forces have now come full circle in syria with devastating consequences. The all alawite struggle companies are broadly similar to the defense companies and arewere fanatically loyal to the syrian government and were heavily used during the. The syrian revolution and the struggle for kurdish liberation.
960 832 528 918 1127 1492 1352 682 715 1300 694 1089 1359 1530 478 1245 924 1210 580 1270 394 1319 1012 977 423 1444 1126 1229 328 284 1352 1455