Syrian foreign policy, always opaque, has become an even greater puzzle during the Syrian revolt. Irrespective of the regime’s international isolation in the wake of its violent response to domestic protest, it has paid lip-service to international peace plans while unperturbedly crushing the rebellion. The rare televised appearances of President Assad have shown a leader detached from reality. Has he—in his own words—‘gone crazy’? In this book long-time Syria analyst and former diplomat Bente Scheller contends that Bashar Assad’s deadly waiting game is following its own logic: whatever difficulties the Syrian regime has faced, its previous experience has been that it can simply sit out the current crisis.
The difference this time is that Syria faces a double crisis—internal and external. While Hafez Assad, renowned as an astute politician, adapted to new challenges, his son, Bashar, seems to have no alternative plan of action.
Scheller’s timely book analyses Syrian foreign policy after the global upheavals of 1989, which was at the time a glorious new beginning for the regime. She shows how Bashar Assad, by ignoring change both inside Syria and in the region, has sacrificed his father’s focus on national security in favour of a policy of regime survival and offers a candid analysis of the successes and shortcomings of Syrian foreign policy in recent years.
‘A much needed breath of fresh air. Finally, we find a well thought through, well researched and beautifully written book on the nearly three-year Syrian Revolt. Bente Scheller, an A-class Syria expert, has written a volume that is intended to last long after the curtain falls on the Syrian Revolt. In foreign policy she has chosen the most unconventional topic for a country at war, analysing how and why Syria has reached its current state of affairs. Scheller delves deep into domestic factors, too, brilliantly interweaving them with the aspirations, fears, and ambitions of the Damascus government — how they influence foreign policy and are influenced by it. This book is a must for the Middle East library, making Bente Scheller Europe’s finest Syria expert.’ — Sami Moubayed, Syrian historian and visiting scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center (Beirut)
‘An excellent analysis of Syrian foreign policy under Hafez and Bashar al-Assad, and how Assad senior succeeded in making Syria’s foreign policy a bargaining chip in stabilising his rule domestically. Bente Scheller’s book also give us a comprehensive understanding of how the personal character of Syria’s leaders have been reflected in their foreign policy decisions.’ — Radwan Ziadeh, co-founder and executive director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C. and author of Power and Policy in Syria
‘An excellent and groundbreaking study, filling an important gap in Syria studies. Scheller’s work provides essential insights into what one can expect of the present Syrian Ba’th regime with regard to its suppression of the Syrian Revolution. It is a very timely account of how the Syrian regime, despite periods of deep crisis and heavy foreign pressures, has managed, for decades, to stay in power. Scheller eloquently explains the complex and shifting relations between Syria, its regional neighbours and the world. This book is a must-read for those seriously interested in Syria.’ — Nikolaos van Dam, author of The Struggle for Power in Syria: Politics and Society under Asad and the Ba’th Party
‘This exquisite volume is remarkable for its lasting value. We are all struggling to keep up with the speed of events in Syria — what an analyst writes one day is obsolete the next. Scheller, by contrast, writes about the authentic rather than the transitory, the original rather than the derivative, and her book will be useful for years. Obligatory for researchers, scholars, and decision makers involved in the future Syria.’ — Wael Sawah, Syrian journalist and writer
‘Identifying the main elements of the Assad regime’s foreign policy rationale over decades is crucial to understanding its current struggle; as Bente Scheller thoroughly demonstrates, the quest was never about ideology and always about longevity. A very timely book providing a wealth of details on key stages with most of the region’s players, and lucid insights on analogies with Assad’s ongoing repression of the massive Syrian uprising.’ — Rime Allaf, Syrian writer and broadcaster
