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Prepare for future conflict?
Alan George, Syria: Neither Bread nor Freedom (Zed Books 2003, ISBN 1 84277 213 9, 224pp, £13.95)
Reviewed by: RED
The day the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad's Firdos Square was pulled down, Donald Rumsfeld accused Syria of sheltering senior Ba'athists, leading many to believe that Syria was next in line for attack.
These plans appear to be on hold for the moment, but anti-war activists in the US, Britain and elsewhere will want to learn more about Syria, and Alan George's new book provides a good place to start.
George's book divides into three parts: a brief overview of Syria's post-WWII history; an account of the rise and subsequent repression of the "Damascus Spring" civil society movement that sprang up with the death of Hafiz al-Asad; and a devastating account of modern day Syria's media, economy, parliament and legal system.
George is fond of comparisons with George Orwell's 1984 and successfully paints a vivid picture of Syria's totalitarian political system, corrupt bureaucracy and economic malaise. However he is also quick to point out that external threats have served only to bolster the hardliners within the regime.
Activists will need to go elsewhere for the facts about Syria's alleged WMD programmes or links with "terrorism", but George's book will provide them with valuable background reading.