Revolt in Syria : Eye-Witness to the Uprising

by Starr, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9780231704205
• ISBN10: 0231704208
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-25
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr

Summary

In January of 2011, President Bashar al-Assad officially declared Syrian society stable and the government immune to revolt. In the months that followed, and as regimes fell in Egypt and Tunisia, thousands of ordinary Syrians took to the streets calling for an end to Assad's regime. Many lost their lives to the bullets of the president's army. In Revolt, Stephen Starr delves deep into the lives of those affected by the Syrian state over the past five decades. Interviewing people from all levels of society, Starr gathers and interprets the views and beliefs that illustrate why Syria, with its numerous sects and religious diversity, has been so prone to violence and civil instability. Gaining unique access to a country that has been largely cut off from the international media, Starr delivers compelling, first hand testimony from those who have suffered and benefited most from the regime. Revolt reveals why many Syrians wanted Assad's government to stay intact as an alternative to endless civil war. It measures the long-standing gap between the state apparatus and its people and explains what led Syria's youth to finally stand up and call decisively for freedom. Starr also outlines the positions of the country's minorities and describes why many Syrians believe enforced regime change will only lead to region-wide conflict.

Table of Contents

Maps	p. vi
Prologue	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Damascus: Dragged Towards Revolt	p. 7
The Minorities and Syria's Revolt	p. 29
Lies, Half-truths and Videos: the Media and the Uprising	p. 55
The Gap Between State and Society	p. 79
Revolution Through the Eyes of the Rich and Poor	p. 111
The Uprising and Syria's Youth	p. 137
Being a Foreigner, a Resident and a Journalist in the Revolt	p. 161
History, Blame and Responsibility	p. 201
Acknowledgements	p. 215
Further Reading	p. 217
Index	p. 219
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