Review (PDF) Inside Syria: The Backstory Of Their Civil War And What The World Can Expect

                
              
Review (PDF) 
Inside Syria: The Backstory Of Their Civil War And What The World Can Expect
Based on first-hand reporting from Syria and Washington, journalist Reese Erlich unravels the complex dynamics underlying the Syrian civil war. Through vivid, on-the-ground accounts and interviews with both rebel leaders and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Erlich gives the reader a better understanding of this momentous power struggle and why it matters.Through his many contacts inside Syria, the author reveals who is supporting Assad and why; he describes the agendas of the rebel factions; and he depicts in stark terms the dire plight of many ordinary Syrian people caught in the cross-fire. The book also provides insights into the role of the Kurds, the continuing influence of Iran, and the policies of American leaders who seem interested only in protecting US regional interests.Disturbing and enlightening at once, this timely book shows you not only what is happening inside Syria but why it is so important for the Middle East, the US, and the world.
Hardcover: 313 pages
Publisher: Prometheus Books (October 7, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616149485
ISBN-13: 978-1616149482
Product Dimensions:  6.3 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:  3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #294,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)   #55 in Books > History > Middle East > Syria   #564 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Security   #599 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Middle Eastern
The Syrian LabyrinthBook ReviewDispatches From The EdgeConn HallinanOct. 13, 2014Inside Syria:” The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect “ by Reese ErlichForward by Noam ChomskyPrometheus Press, New York 2014Reese Erlich’s informative and insightful book “Inside Syria” brings to mind the Greek myth of a vast maze under the palace at Knossos, with one exception: King Minos’ labyrinth on Crete concealed a single Minotaur, Syria is teeming with the beasts.Erlich has spent almost three decades reporting from the Middle East, and he brings his considerable knowledge of the region into this analysis of the Syrian civil war. A winner of the Peabody Award and the Society of Professional Journalists explanatory journalism award for “Inside the Syrian Revolution,” Erlich combines on-the-ground reporting with an encyclopedic background in the region’s history. It is a combination that is particularly useful for a subject as complex and nuanced as the current war, one that has gradually drawn Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Iran, and the monarchies of the Persian Gulf, along with the U.S., France and Britain.The mainstream media generally considers history an afterthought, which explains why it does such an awful job reporting on the Middle East. Journalists like Erlich, Robert Fisk and Patrick Cockburn understand that the history of the region and current events are one and the same, a sort of paraphrase of William Faulkner’s observation that history is as much the present as the past.
The complexity of the Syrian Civil War is illustrated in Appendix 1 which lists the participant groups in the Syrian struggle. There are 13 mostly armed groups opposed to Assad and 5 pro-Assad, 4 influential Kurdish groups and 4 participating foreign groups. Besides the groups in the Appendix there are countries with official and unofficial participation, policies and interests in the outcome. Reese Erlich, a journalist with many years experience reporting on the area walks the reader through them all in a way you can understand.The there is a short history and then chapters on how an uprising became a war, chemical weapons use, Assad's supporters, the roles of Iran, the Kurds, Israel, Palestine, Russia and the US. The Syrian people rate highly in this book, but they seem to the incidental to the conflict. They get fired upon and gassed and the blame or credit (depending which side you are on) is leveled at different sides with evidence to prove different points.Erlich writes that pro-Assad support comes from Russia and Iran who have business interests in Syria and the anti-Assad support comes from wealthy jihad donors, to whom the "rebels" demonstrate their pious bona fides. The UN assists with humanitarian aid and fact finding work. What the US taxpayer has funded is not clear.There are visits to places where the author gives short accounts and interviews. The most interesting of this are trips to Gaza, the Golan Heights and the Kurdish areas of Syria.There is little on the sub-title "What the World Can Expect". Basically this is that the war will end some day. Erlich cites the end of Lebanon's civil war and Syria's recent history of religious tolerance as hopeful precedents for this resulting in a civil society.
Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect World War 2 History's 10 Most Incredible Women: World War II True Accounts Of Remarkable Women Heroes (WWII history, WW2, War books, world war 2 books, war history, World war 2 women) How Iran Fuels Syria War: Details of the Irgc Command HQ and Key Officers in Syria World War 1: Soldier Stories: The Untold Soldier Stories on the Battlefields of WWI (World War I, WWI, World War One, Great War, First World War, Soldier Stories) World War 1: World War I in 50 Events: From the Very Beginning to the Fall of the Central Powers (War Books, World War 1 Books, War History) (History in 50 Events Series) World War 2: World War II in 50 Events: From the Very Beginning to the Fall of the Axis Powers (War Books, World War 2 Books, War History) (History in 50 Events Series Book 4) Vietnam War: The Vietnam War in 50 Events: From the First Indochina War to the Fall of Saigon (War Books, Vietnam War Books, War History) (History in 50 Events Series Book 6) Lincoln's Generals' Wives: Four Women Who Influenced the Civil War--for Better and for Worse (Civil War in the North Series) When Someone You Love Suffers from Posttraumatic Stress: What to Expect and What You Can Do From Manassas to Appomattox (Civil War Classics): Memoirs of the Civil War in America The Civil War: A Narrative: Volume 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian (Vintage Civil War Library) A Savage Conflict: The Decisive Role of Guerrillas in the American Civil War (Civil War America) The Civil War at Sea (Reflections on the Civil War Era) A Refugee at Hanover Tavern: The Civil War Diary of Margaret Wight (Civil War Series) The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War (The Civil War: 1861-1865 Book 2) Your Child's Divorce: What to Expect...What You Can Do Iraq and Syria 1941 (The Politics and strategy of the Second World War) Never Can I Write of Damascus: When Syria Became Our Home The Six Day War 1967: Jordan and Syria (Campaign) The Syrian Virgin: A Young Woman's Journey From War in Syria to Love in New York (The Syrian Virgin Series Book 1) 