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The Truth about Syria Paperback – May 27, 2008

by Barry Rubin (Author)
3.0 3.0 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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American policymakers have wrestled with the Syria question for years, but it has gained particular urgency in light of the war between Hezbollah and Israel and the country's continued support for the Iraq insurgency. With its mix of competing religious and ethnic groups, radical ideologies, and ferocious political repression, the growing tension surrounding Syria presents an increasingly serious problem for the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy. Yet surprisingly, very little is known about this country and its role in shaping the destiny of the region. In this bold investigation, Middle East expert Barry Rubin looks at how the country has become the powderkeg of the Middle East and offers an insightful analysis of recent developments.

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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Griffin
  4. Publication date
    May 27, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.69 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0230604072
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0230604070
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Syria will play a major role in the years to come both as a player and an issue in world politics. This book, written by a veteran student of Middle East affairs, is the most up-to-date and reliable guide available on this subject.” ―Walter Laqueur, Emeritus Professor, Georgetown University, and author of The Road to War

“In this book Barry Rubin takes Syria as a model of Arab tyranny. What might look like gratuitous violence, cruelty, or mendacity serves the purpose of shoring up the power of the one-man ruler and his regime, and is completely predictable. There is now no good reason for the West and its leaders to go along with this dynamic, indeed to feed it regularly. Rubin describes with care, and prescribes with caution. The achievement is as informed as it is humane.” ―David Pryce-Jones, author of The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs

“Barry Rubin's book is a much-needed examination that cuts through the delusions and fantasies currently in vogue about the Assad regime. Rubin nails the nature of Syria's rulers and their behavior, explaining why they are--and will always be--hard-line, chronic exporters of instability.” ―Tony Badran, Research Fellow (Levant), Foundation for Defense of Democracies

“The Truth About Syria . . . is a welcome contribution to the largely unimpressive body of research on modern Syria. Rubin's well-sourced study provides an unvarnished appraisal of Syrian politics, making no apologies for the brutal internal and destabilizing foreign policies that characterized the 30 year rule of Syrian leader Hafiz Assad and that persist under Hafiz's son and successor Bashar. The Truth About Syria is informative, insightful, and readable, and is an important contribution toward understanding this important but understudied state.” ―David Schenker, Senior Fellow in Arab Politics, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

“Professor Rubin's book comes at a time when the debate over Syria and its regime is growing throughout Europe and America. He courageously gathers evidence showing the impossibility of dealing with Syria or changing its behavior. The merit of Rubin's book lies in the thorough dissection of the regime's psychological conduct, and of the tools this dictatorship has used in the past and uses now to remain in power. Any approach to the Syrian problem that does not take Professor Rubin's analysis into consideration will be an incomplete one.” ―Elie Fawaz, Lebanese political analyst

About the Author

Barry Rubin is Director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. He is the author of more than 25 and editor of over 30 books on the Middle East, including The Truth About Syria.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition (May 27, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0230604072
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0230604070
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.69 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.0 3.0 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Barry M. Rubin

Barry M. Rubin

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Customer reviews

3 out of 5 stars
3 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Christopher M. Whitman Jr.
1.0 out of 5 stars Worst book about Syria ever
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2008
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I study the Middle East extensively and Syria makes up about 80% of my studies. That being said this is by far the worst of them all. Rubin works in Israel and his book was funded with Israeli money and it is exactly that, paid propaganda. His extremely biased assumptions are told as fact and the history of Syria is distorted greatly to the point of recreation just to fit his mold. There are very legitimate complaints about the state of Syria but 99% of the one Rubin bring up are just ridiculous and unfounded. If you would like to read a good book about Syria that is not overly academic in nature I would recommend "Inheriting Syria, Bashar's Trial by Fire." Don't waste your money on this book, it is truly the biggest waste of $10 I have made in a while and I am a college student so you can imagine I waste $10 randomly a lot
28 people found this helpful
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Fred
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Work
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2009
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This is a great work about Syria and a must if you want to understand more about the Middle East.This book is a no holds barred kind of account in which the author just tells it like it is.The book gives you a very good look of a regimen that feeds off the fear of his people and just wants to consolidate his power without regard for any consequences.The book is easy to read and understand since the author writes in a simple and easy manner without compromising substance or importance.Just a great book for anyone interested in the Midddle East.
6 people found this helpful
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Thomas Mitchell
4.0 out of 5 stars Anatomy of a dictatorship
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2009
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This book is in the style of academic books on the former Soviet Union or Nazi Germany--the anatomy of a dictatorship. Rubin details early Syrian politics, the rise to power as sole dictator of Hafez al-Assad and then the transfer of power to his son Bashar al-Assad. For those wishing to understand the internal dynamics of Syria this appears to be quite a good guide. I would urge caution, however, in reading the chapter on relations with Israel. Rubin writes with certainty and conviction, and some persuasion, that Ba'athist Syria is incapable of making peace with Israel. But he writes that Israel offered to return all of the Golan to Syria in exchange for peace and Assad turned Israel down. This is not true. Rabin made the offer provided that Syria was willing to offer full peace in exchange. But Peres broke off talks in the early spring of 1996 because Syria refused to condemn a terrorist attack and Barak wanted to adjust the border when his final offer was made to Assad by Clinton in March 2000. Dennis Ross blamed Assad's rejection of the offer on Assad's focus on assuring a smooth succession before his impending death from cancer. So Rubin's thesis regarding Israeli-Syrian peace has yet to be fully tested, contrary to what he writes. But I still urge those interested in Syria and Middle East peace to read this book.
8 people found this helpful
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G. Ferris
1.0 out of 5 stars Truth? Wrong Title
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2010
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The title of this book should have been, "A Jewish Perspective on Syria" The truth? No history pre 1945. No political perspective from a Syrian point of view or Lebanese for that matter.
No mention of motives. Why Syria is the way it is or why the government does what it does. Rubin sounds like a bully in the school yard calling Hafiz, Bashar, Iran, Hizballah, Hamas, Kurds, Nasser and others "tinpot dictators", comic-villians that just runaround for no reason blowing people up. While saying NOTHING about the governments of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and others.
Double standards, no in-depth research or historical perspective is why this book is a poorly written editorial on "why Syria sucks".
Instead of buying this book just turn on Fox News, you will get the same information and you will save a couple of dollars.
9 people found this helpful
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Gregory Kanellopoulos
2.0 out of 5 stars But if you want an analysis of the regime well I guess it is a good enough read
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2015
A biased western perspective that analyses a dictatorship without reffering ot its greater benefits and its popularity.Also the misleading title might lure you if you expect to see the real reasons behind the ''civil war'' something that cleary misses or intentionally blames on inside factors.But if you want an analysis of the regime well I guess it is a good enough read.
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PJ
3.0 out of 5 stars non-academic perspective, a simple good start on Syria
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2009
I don't think we can ever claim that this type of book writing is objective. There may be objective dates and events, but one look at the title "The Truth About..." is enough to suggest that this book is the result of the author's experience of the region. His language is not academic and is filled with expressions that shout "this is my opinion". Therefore, it is pointless to make a judgement about his book based on his ethnic background.

In controversial topics like the one this book tackles, it's important to read as many books as possible from different authors, both academic and non-academic. I think that Barry Rubin has written an easy-read account of various events in Syrian and Middle Eastern recent history with this book.

What I got out of the book was that Syria has been a rogue state with very self-destructive internal policies. For decades, the regime has been run by elite that have focused on meddling into neighboring countries' affairs instead of addressing their own peoples' plights. Furthermore, this has been- possibly on purpose- largely ignored by the West especially by the US. I would argue that, with this book, Barry Rubin has attempted to call on to Western (particularly) American foreign policymakers to take a more effective and pro-active stance against Syria, instead of running after imaginary missions (a.k.a search for Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq).

I think the gist of the book is that the West has failed to identify the reasons why Palestine and Israel have not settled there differences for so long. And one real reason is interference from Syria.
10 people found this helpful
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Teacher/Photographer
5.0 out of 5 stars Timely, even though not recently written
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2014
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Fantastic insight into understanding Syria and its conflict within historical context. Sad that there is no follow-up text to the current conflict -- the author, a brilliant scholar, passed away last year. Can't wait to start digging into his other 30 books - Barry Rubin was prolific and fair-minded when it came to topics about the Middle East.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Caped Crusader
1.0 out of 5 stars Unacceptably Poor
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2014
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I'm sorry to say that this book, by the late, great Barry Rubin, is a total mess.

The first and most obvious problem is the readability; it is simply an utter mess from beginning to end. It is almost as if the late professor has been transcribed in a less than focused moment. The result is something that lacks any coherence in terms of subject matter. There doesn't seem to be any aim to what he's saying and there are extensive comments about major topics covering the Mid East and Syria, but unless you know what those points allude to, you'll have no idea what he's talking about.

Better to check out one of his other books on the Mid East instead.
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