The Truth About Syria

Middle East, The, Dec, 2007 by Fred Rhodes

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THE TRUTH ABOUT SYRIA By Barry Rubin published by Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 978 1 4039 8273 5 price 14.99 [pounds sterling] hardback

Syria has long presented a problem for the Middle East region and US policy, a volatile and secretive country, which has a diverse ethnic population, serious levels of internal contention, a mix of competing religious and radical ideologies, and political repression.

At a time when the debate over Syria and its regime is growing throughout Europe and America, Rubin's well-sourced study looks at the critical issues that have made this country the powder keg of the Middle East and offers an insightful analysis of the effects of recent developments.

It is an unvarnished appraisal of Syrian politics, making no apologies for the internal and foreign policies that characterised the 30-year rule of Syrian leader Hafez Assad and that persist under Hafez's son and successor Bashar.

The Truth About Syria is informative, insightful, and is an important contribution toward understanding this state, which will play a major role in the years to come both as a player and an issue in world politics.