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Coup in Damascus delves into one of the most pivotal yet under-explored moments in Middle Eastern history: the 1949 military coup in Syria, an event which set the stage for revolving door governments and autocracies across the region.
At the interdisciplinary crossroad between economics, politics, and history, Carl Rihan challenges prevailing narratives that have either focused on Great Power Politics, cloak-and-dagger regional rivalries, or postcolonial dynamics by affirming the central role of cost-calculating, utility-driven political action in a constrained economic context. Bringing neoclassical and Austrian economic thought in contact with Middle East history, the book uncovers how unsound monetary practices, the disruption of historical trade routes, flawed interventionism, and the waning of market dynamics paved the way for military takeovers, political radicalization, and zero-sum games.
By reaffirming the centrality of human action in its objective and praxeological sense, Coup in Damascus offers a fresh perspective on one of the region's most pivotal moments, one which still bares its bitter fruits today. It provides a timely analysis in light of the recent civil war and violence in the region and seeks to "write history differently" by re-imagining the past.
About the author
Carl Rihan is a political economist specialized in decision-making and economic policy in fragile settings. An associate at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Carl models decision-making under conditions of economic uncertainty by applying cost-based and game-theoretic frameworks onto historical data. With more than a decade of experience covering twenty-two Arab States and Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations (FCS), he advises on stabilization and organizational strategy by combining data analytics and qualitative methods. Carl teaches at SciencesPo Paris, SciencesPo Lille, and is also the co-author of
Governance Cooperation in a Conflict-Ridden Context (IIAS, 2024).
