Feb 11, 2018 syrias nearly sevenyear civil war escalated over the weekend when israel launched an attack against iranian targets in syria. Syria, iran and the balance of power in the middle east. Given the regional power shift generated by the iraq war, sunni gulf powers. Syria is the swing state in middle eastern political struggles. Secretary of state john kerry in the course of a telephone conversation once again to emphasize the need to continue direct talks on syria. Middle east security report 2 the struggle for syria in 2011 joseph holliday december 2011. It is unlikely that one camp will win outright control in 2018. One hopes instead that after retreat and hiatus, the refocusing of attentions on syria might be the moment that the tide begins to turn. In 1963 the baath party came to power in iraq in a coup that was largely organized and. In june 1920 a french ultimatum demanding syrian recognition of the mandate was followed by a french occupation and the expulsion in july of fay. This near power vacuum in iraq has made the current u. In the current unrest in syria, the saudis and turks in addition to.
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 struggle companies saraya alsira is or was 5,000strong commando force deployed around damascus. Pdf on jan 1, 2017, sukalpa chakrabarti and others published the new cold war in syria find, read and cite all the research you need on. 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. 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. Gen adnan assad, a cousin of the late syrian president, hafez assad. Iran to protect its ally in damascus and project power within syria. The muslim brotherhood and the struggle for syria, 1947. It is through syria that iran projects power into the arab world, through. 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. He is the author of the struggle for power in syria. As it is known, the second round of negotiations on syria ended in geneva on february 15. The research analyzes the current situation in syria through a cautiously considered analysis. Via iran, hezbollah became an instrument of syrian power in lebanon.
Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of joseph stalin and what it means. Until the united states and other associates find a credible political ally and viable alternative to president bashar alassad inside syria, the. Politics and society under asad and the bath party by nikolaos van dam i. Lebanon had already, in august 1920, been declared a separate state, with the addition of beirut, tripoli, and. Why other countries poked their noses in a tiny nations civil. During ensuing months, it benefited from regime weakening and armed opposition fragmentation. To guard against an abuse of power, the new mayor is not allowed to run for reelection.
The rise of isis in syria was partly the result of a deliberate strategy by president bashar. The civil war in syria and the impotence of international politics. Iran and syria, therefore, entered a longterm if not altogether stable alliance that has lasted to this day. Power struggle definition and meaning collins english. Following decades of coups and countercoups in syria, hafez used the network he had built in the posts of commander of the syrian air force and minister of defence to seize power in 1970. Yang likens hus historical role to that of tan sitong, a martyr of the 1898 reform movement from hus home county of hunan. Iran and the changing military balance in the gulf net. Syria would then seem to be another setback in a domino effect that would next lead to iran and possibly continue towards russias southern rim. April, 17, 2011syrian protesters shouts slogans calling for president bashar assad to step down during a protest to express solidarity with syrian people in front of the syrian embassy in.
In july 1922 the league of nations approved the texts of the french mandate for syria and lebanon. Dec 07, 2018 hafez alassad was the architect of modern syria. On 6 october 1973, syria and egypt initiated the yom kippur war against israel. A summary of the struggle for power in s joseph stalin. Politics and society under asad and the bath party, 4th ed. The government, headed by bashar alassad, son of previous leader hafez alassad, is based in damascus, the traditional capital. The first section provides a brief historical overview of sectarianism in syria in order to understand its role in the current conflict. While syria s fight remains a struggle largely fought by syrians focused on their own ambitions, the desire of regional players to inject themselves. Politics and society under asad and the bath party, 17. All of syrias neighbors and even the great powers are involved in the conflict, providing finan.
Politics and society under asad and the bath party, by nikolaos van dam. The majority of syria s publishing industry is concentrated in damascus. Politics and society under asad and the bath party 4th edition, 2011. The implications of the syrian war for new regional orders in. When it first appeared in 1979 with the subtitle, sectarianism, regionalism and tribalism in politics, 19611978, it rapidly set the terms for future debate on syrian politics.
As result, the likely balance of power in syria will prevent assad from consolidating or emerging victorious. The confused and contradictory policies of the obama administration in syria and iraq further complicated the crises. The regime has been able to assume risk in syrias east. The struggle for syria in 2011 institute for the study. Asads rise to power represented a turning point in the process of the regime. Jul 17, 2012 the syrian military reportedly fired mortars into the kfar souseh neighborhood of damascus for the first time july 12. It is not inconceivable that future historians will talk of a great power clash that began at the time of the syrian revolution in 2011. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Russia also calculated that the fall of syrias regime could leave iran weakened and isolated, making it more vulnerable to an attack from either israel or the united states.
Recent sad events in syria have forced russian foreign minister sergey lavrov and u. Security forces have avoided direct confrontation with the sunni tribes of deir ezzor, while syrias kurds largely refrained from joining the opposition movement in 2011. The struggle for syria in 2011 institute for the study of war. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Propagandaserving reforms devoid of substance and credibility, like the constitutional amendments of february 2012, have done nothing to deescalate the situation. Daily, weekly, and fortnightly newspapers are published, and all newspapers are subject to government restrictions. 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. Politics and society under asad and the bath party 4th edition by nikolaos van dam isbn. It aims to evaluate the current conflict in syria in which several internal and foreign actors have engaged the civil war on behalf of protecting or. Luke harp democracy is not only a political system it is an ideal, an aspiration, really, intimately connected to and dependent upon a picture of what it is to be humanof what it is a human should be to be fully human.
The battle for syria has morphed into a regional conflict, drawing in. This piece is dedicated to the memory of a true scholar, friend. A battleground when it is weak, it became a major regional actor when the state was consolidated under hafiz alasad. Response since its start in 2011, the syria conflict has presented significant policy challenges for the united states. 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. Iranian struggle for influence in iraq a critical part of the current military balance, and it is a struggle that is far from clear that the united states and the arab gulf states will win. What syrias power struggle means council on foreign. First published in 1979, this excellent study of the sectarian bases of syrian politics has been thoroughly updated. Tauris, 2011 if you want to understand the cruel tragedy of syria, there are two books you must read. Political parties and democratic process there are number of institutions that perform central role in the deepening and sustenance of democratic process, however, the. The regional cold war ten years on, these forces have now come full circle in syria with devastating consequences. The struggle for dominance of the key ministries, and the future of the constitutionally mandated independent commissions, is thus likely to prove a key indicator of the prevailing power balance and direction of state reinforcement.
Nikolaos van dams the struggle for power in syria and, of course, patrick seales biography of assad. The conflict in syria is less about democratic reforms and more about redistributing power along sectarian and ethnic lineswith troubling regional. Apr 20, 2015 this important shift in sunni policy is a direct consequence of the rise of riyadhs anxiety after the expansion of houthi forces in yemen. Only a handful of important books have been written on modern syria. The second section provides a framework for understanding the. 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. Russia also calculated that the fall of syria s regime could leave iran weakened and isolated, making it more vulnerable to an attack from either israel or the united states. When it first appeared in 1979 with the subtitle, sectarianism, regionalism and tribalism in politics, 19611978, it rapidly set the terms for. It seems that neither side will be able to defeat the other unless there is a serious change in the balance of outside support. Having realized they had miscalculated in syria and failed to oust assad, the us attempted to channel blame away from itself and onto its arab and turkish allies due to the increased power of jihadists. The rising powers position on a global conflict the huffington post kadira pethiyagoda thursday, january 14, 2016. Magazines and journals are run mostly by official or semiofficial bodies. Aug 31, 2012 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. This report is the common context analysis of the syria crisis, and it is one of the three primary deliverables of call.
Scenarios and policy options for the international community. Politics and society under asad and the bath party. The author remains pessimistic about a peaceful evolution away from todays alawidominated dictatorship toward a more representative and democratic regime, but he does believe that some measure of liberalization is nonetheless possible. The syrian government facilitated the flow of extremists and foreign fighters. Syria and their struggle for democracy authorstream. 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. Struggle for syria, 19471958 between accommodation and ideology joshua teitelbaum although syria gained independence in 1946, its independence was initially nominal. As the syria conflict persists and the humanitarian crisis in the region. The various friendshiphostility configurations between the us, russia, turkey, syria, and iran are analyzed to present how changes in the direction of the conflict and cooperation disturb the regional balance of power in the syrian conflict. Nov 22, 2011 syria regarded lebanon as historically part of syria, and sought to assert its influence over it. Negotiations and the struggle continue new eastern. Since gaining its independence from the french in 1946, syria has had a rocky and troubled history. A monumental work on syrian power politics nikolaos van dam robert fisk, the independent an excellent book patrick seale an admirable study.
The struggle for power in syria by nikolaos van dam. Assad fall, to try to avoid a consolidation of hostile forces on iraqs border. The struggle for syria by patrick seale, 9781850430650, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Just a month ago, the free syrian army appeared to be in disarray. Politics and society under asad and the bath party dam, nikolaos van on. This paper provides context for understanding the cycles of violence in syria. The syrian war and the return of great power politics.
The rise of isis in syria was partly the result of a deliberate strategy by president bashar alassad to sow division among his opponents. One of such issues is the veto power system in the united nations security council. Elections in syria gives information on election and election results in syria a civil war has been going on in syria since 2011 following a period of demonstrations and unrest in 2011, which was part of the international wave of protest known as the arab spring. Damascus is increasingly witnessing firefights and engagements between opposition and government forces, and the regime has recently resorted to the use of helicopter gunships over areas of the capital to maintain its grip over the city. The politics of opposition parties merger and the struggle. Syria, iraq and the struggle for power syria from within chatham. The fighting has entailed massive effects on the civilian population. So is turkey, the main power to the north, which is now gripped in a public and vicious power struggle that leaves little. Apr 12, 2018 discussing the balance of power in syria. Its a clause in the security council, that accords an absolute power to the five world powers such as united states, britain, russia, china, and.