Syria And The Middle East Peace Process

In Syria and the Middle East Peace Process, Alasdair Drysdale and Raymond A. Hinnebusch, two noted Middle East scholars, present the first detailed examination of Syria's role in the long struggle for an Arab-Israeli peace. They paint a surprising portrait of a county whose power is out of proportion to its size, economy, and resources. They explore the reasons behind this phenomeno most importantly, the Machiavellian brilliance of its leader, Hafez al-Asad. The authors address the origins of the Asad regime, Syrias strategy toward its Arab neighbors, its conflict with Israel, and the history of its relationships with the Soviet Union and the United States. The authors argue forcefully that Syrian involvement is vital in an effort to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict.

This is the first book to deal with the most crucial case of war and peace in the Middle East. Moshe Ma'oz examines the history of relations between Israel and Syria throughout the Middle Eastern conflict. Drawing upon a variety of original sources, the author discusses still little-known episodes in relations between the countries such as Syrian peace offers to Israel in the early 1950s and the mid-1970s; American and Soviet involvement; the role of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and the PLO; Israel's contribution to the aggravation of the conflict with Syria, and the new Syrian diplomatic strategy since 1988 and the peacemaking process after the Madrid conference (from late 1991). The book demonstrates the crucial importance of Syrian-Israeli relations for the strategic posture of both countries, for the fate of the Palestinian problem, and for the prospects of an overall Middle East Settlement.

In the wake of the Arab spring of 2011, the struggle for leadership of the Arab world has taken on a new significance, and with this comes the ever-present issue of the Arab-Israeli Peace Process. The 1990s was a decade of US-led peace-making in the Middle East, and the Syrian-Israeli talks teetered on a deal more than once. The framework for a potential peace agreement was established through these bilateral negotiations, but after the collapse of the Asad-Clinton summit of 2000, the 'Syrian track' stalled as positions hardened and regional and domestic political realities shifted. Here, Radwan Ziadeh tracks these negotiations, from the Madrid conference of 1991, to the Asad-Clinton summit, and beyond, examining how Syria's foreign policy has changed with the rise to power of Bashar al-Asad and, in Iran, of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri in Lebanon and the Iraq war. This book provides a valuable and thorough historical analysis of this period of Middle Eastern politics and international diplomacy as well as examining the potential impact of a peace deal on Syrian society, politics and economy.

This study demonstrates that Syria's role in the Middle East has been, since 1974, an unabated terrorist war against all attempts to resolve peacefully the Arab-Israeli conflict. Marius Deeb provides evidence that Syria's role in Lebanon, since 1975, has been to perpetuate the conflict among the various Lebanese communities in order to keep its domination of Lebanon.

This study demonstrates that Syria's role in the Middle East has been, since 1974, an unabated terrorist war against all attempts to resolve peacefully the Arab-Israeli conflict. Marius Deeb provides evidence that Syria's role in Lebanon, since 1975, has been to perpetuate the conflict among the various Lebanese communities in order to keep its domination of Lebanon.