Syria: From National Independence to Proxy War

Description

This edited collection aims to analytically reconceptualise the Syrian crisis by examining how and why the country has moved from a stable to a war-torn society. It is written by scholars from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, all of whom make no attempt to speculate on the future trajectory of the conflict, but aim instead to examine the historical background that has laid the objective conditions for Syria’s descent to its current situation. Their work represents an attempt to dissect the multi-layered foundation of the Syrian conflict and to make understanding its complex inner workings accessible to a broader readership. The book is divided into four parts, each of which elaborates on the origins and dynamics of today’s crisis from the perspective of a different discipline. When put together, the four parts provide a holistic picture of Syria’s developmental trajectory from the early twentieth century through to the present day. Themes addressed include Syria’s postcolonial development efforts, its leap into socialism and then into neoliberalism in the late twentieth century, its politics within the resistance front, and finally its food and health security concerns. Front Matter ....Pages i-xv Introduction: Syria in the Imperialist Cyclone (Ali Kadri, Linda Matar)....Pages 1-25 Front Matter ....Pages 27-27 What Went Wrong: Understanding the Trajectory of Syria’s Conflict (Raymond Hinnebusch)....Pages 29-52 The New Struggle for Syria and the Nature of the Syrian State (Eberhard Kienle)....Pages 53-70 Syria: Strong State Versus Social Cleavages (Hiroyuki Aoyama)....Pages 71-92 Front Matter ....Pages 93-93 Macroeconomic Framework in Pre-conflict Syria (Linda Matar)....Pages 95-113 The Syrian Conflict: Selective Socioeconomic Indicators (Nabil Marzouk)....Pages 115-131 Lebanon Can’t Give Him a Future: Revolutionary Subjectivity and Syrian Rebel-Workers in Beirut (Philip Proudfoot)....Pages 133-158 Front Matter ....Pages 159-159 Syria in the ‘Resistance Front’: Persistence Through Reconfiguration? (Aurora Sottimano)....Pages 161-182 Front Matter ....Pages 183-183 The Political Economy of Public Health in Syria: Some Global and Regional Considerations (Kasturi Sen)....Pages 185-207 The Political Economy of Thermidor in Syria: National and International Dimensions (Max Ajl)....Pages 209-245 Syria’s Food Security: From Self-Sufficiency to Hunger as a Weapon (Myriam Ababsa)....Pages 247-267 Conclusion: China’s Role in Syria’s National Security (Linda Matar, Ali Kadri)....Pages 269-288 Back Matter ....Pages 289-296