Cycle of Fear - Syria's Alawites in War and Peace

The Alawites are a key component to the current civil war in Syria. Journalist Robert D. Kaplan compared Hafez al-Assad's coming to power to "an untouchable becoming maharajah in India or a Jew becoming tsar in Russia-an unprecedented development shocking to the Sunni majority population which had monopolized power for so many centuries".[31] In 1971 al-Assad declared himself president of Syria, a position the constitution at the time permitted only for Sunni Muslims. The author shows how the political behavior of Alawites has long been shaped by the group's insecurity and lack of true integration into society.

About the author

Leon T. Goldsmith teaches in the Department of Political Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.

Product details

• Authors: Leon Goldsmith, Leon T. Goldsmith, Goldsmith Leon T.
• Publisher: Hurst Publishers
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 08.05.2015
• EAN: 9781849044684
• ISBN: 978-1-84904-468-4
• Dimensions: 138 mm x 216 mm x 23 mm
• Weight: 599 g
• Illustrations: illustrations, Illustrationen, nicht spezifiziert
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Other religions; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Syria, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Islamic Studies, Islamic Studies, Middle Eastern history, Relating to Islamic / Muslim people and groups, Social groups: religious groups and communities, HISTORY / Islamic, HISTORY / Middle East / Syria