Power and Paranoia in Syria-Iraq Relations

The Impact of Hafez Assad and Saddam Hussain
1. Auflage 2023
ISBN: 978-1-032-38400-9
Verlag: Routledge

Buch, Englisch, 152 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 402 g

Reihe: Durham Modern Middle East and Islamic World Series

This book examines the perplexing twists and turns in Syria-Iraq relations which since the establishment of modern Syria and Iraq after World War I have zigzagged between cooperation and hostility countless times. It questions why both countries switched regional and international alliances, but never formed one of their own, and assesses the role played by structural forces such as geopolitics, ideology, and regime survival. It also argues that a key factor was the individual personalities – the agency role – of Hafez Assad and Saddam Hussain, both of whom had a monopoly of power, similar ambitions and leadership styles, and great mistrust of each other, with the result that they clashed. It goes on to show how both were caught between commitment to pan-Arabism and the imperative for regime survival, and how this led them both to weaken pan-Arabism instead and construct sectarian polarisation to ensure regime survival. The book concludes that their ruthless fight left a heavy legacy where in both countries regime survival overshadowed state consolidation and nation-building, with both countries divided into smaller communities of faiths and ethnicities at war with each other.

Zielgruppe

Academic

Autoren/Hrsg.

Rasheed, Amjed

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein Empirische Sozialforschung, Statistik
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Regionalwissenschaften, Regionalstudien
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Stadt- und Regionalsoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction: The Analytical Framework Part 1: Age of the Monarchy 1. The Hashemite Monarchy and its Quest to Rule Syria Part 2: Age of Revolution 2. Post-WWII Pan-Arabism Competition Part 3: Age of Authoritarians 3. The Iran-Iraq War 4. Kuwait Crisis Part 4: Age of Denomination 5. The Occupation of Iraq and the Syrian Quest for Survival 6. The Arab Uprisings in Iraq and Syria Part 5: Conclusion 7. Conclusion

Über Autor(innen)

Amjed Rasheed is a lecturer in the International Relations and Politics of West Asia and North Africa at the School of Politics, Philosophy and Religion (PPR), Lancaster University, UK.