RESOURCES: Some key sources for a better understanding of the crisis in Syria
We are certain that when people are open to listening to the voices and reading the writings of Syrians and well-informed scholars they gain a great deal of clarity about the convoluted conflict in Syria. There are many books now available that offer us this opportunity. The ones listed below are among the best. We strongly recommend them:
NEW RELEASES:
Syria After the Uprisings (Haymarket Books, 2019) Joseph Daher, a Swiss-Syrian activist and scholar teaches at Lausanne University in Switzerland and maintains the blog Syria Freedom Forever. In Syria After the Uprisings, he analyzes the nature of the Assad regime going back to 1970. While supportive of the uprising and its aims, he offers a trenchant critique of the opposition’s failures — a critique from within that should be taken seriously by everyone who cares about Syria.
The Syrian Revolution: Between the Politics of Life and the Geopolitics of Death (Pluto Press, 2019) Author Yasser Munif focuses on the experiment in “grassroots governance” in Manbij between 2012, when this northern Syrian town was liberated from the regime, and 2014, when it was conquered by ISIS. During those two years, “revolutionary forces reconfigured the city from the ground up by creating inclusive spaces, forming horizontal networks, and building democratic institutions.” . Munif provides a gripping and moving account of the Manbij experiment. He also provides a forceful critique of the distorted narratives about Syria prevalent in the West—including among segments of the Left — in which Manbij and the larger democratic struggle it represented simply don’t figure.
Authoritarian Apprehensions: Ideology, Judgment, and Mourning in Syria (University of Chicago Press, 2019) by Lisa Wedeen, who teaches political science at the University of Chicago Wedeen has a lot to say about the way capitalism works in Assad’s Syria. She calls the system since Bashar al-Assad inherited power from his father in 2000 “neoliberal autocracy.” Authoritarian Apprehensions has a particularly illuminating discussion of the complex role of ideology in maintaining that system, both before and after the uprising.
Note: For a longer discussion of the Daher, Munif, and Wedeen books, click here.
OTHER FAVORITES:
"Assad or We Burn the Country" by Sam Dagher. An excellent history of contemporary Syria and the development of the conflict. Accessible both to those new to the topic as well as those well-versed
"No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria" by Rania Abouzeid. A remarkably well-written history that brings a compelling human feel to the absolute hell that has been Syria since the 2011 uprising.
"We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled" by Wendy Pearlman. A critical resource that gives voice to the voiceless Syrians.
"My Country: A Syrian Memoir" by Kassim Eid. The compelling story of a young Syrian man who survived the hell of a sarin gas and went on to tell the world about it.
"Dear World: A Syrian Girl's Story of War and a Plea for Peace" by Bana Alabed. The courageous writings of a young girl in Aleppo.
"Burning Country" by Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami. A very readable history of the roots of the conflict and its course to date
"The Impossible Revolution" by Yassin al-Haj Saleh. A serious analysis by a leading Syrian intellectual and revolutionary
"The Crossing: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria" - Samar Yazbek. A powerful personal tale by a Syrian journalist
"The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria" by Alia Malek. The bittersweet journal of a young Syrian woman in Damascus.
"Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian War" by Marwan Hisham (Author) and Molly Crabapple (Illustrator) .A searing personal account of the development of the conflict and the impact on the author's home town Raqqa.
"The Map of Salt and Stars: A Novel" by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar a beautiful debut novel by a talent Syrian-American author
These books are available from Barnes and Noble, Powell Books, Amazon, and a good local bookstore.
SYRIA DIRECT: syriadirect.org is a non-profit journalism organization that produces timely, credible coverage of Syria while training highly talented, aspiring Syrian and American journalists in professional news-gathering and accurate, in-depth reporting.
SYRIAN OBSERVER: https://syrianobserver.com/EN/
The Syrian Observer is a daily online news service covering Syrian political and civil society news. It is dedicated primarily to translating into English, news content produced by Syria’s official press, opposition groups, activists and civil society.
The Syrian Observer is a daily online news service covering Syrian political and civil society news. It is dedicated primarily to translating into English, news content produced by Syria’s official press, opposition groups, activists and civil society.
The following blogs, websites, twitter accounts and facebook pages are some of the many voices of Syrians. It is imperative for serious peace activists to hear what Syrians are thinking and saying about the conflict that embodies their land:
- www.yassinhs.com The blog of Yassin Al Haj Salah, a Syrian writer, intellectual, dissident and former political prisoner. He remained in prison for 16 years and 14 days, subsequently living underground in Syria then in exile in Turkey.
- @RamiJarah The twitter account of Rami Jarah, Syrian war journalist and media activist.
- https://www.facebook.com/ramijarah?fref=ts The Facebook page of Rami Jarah, also known as Alexander Page.
- https://www.facebook.com/robin.yassinkassab The Facebook page of Robin Yassin-Kassab, journalist and author.
- https://leilashami.wordpress.com/author/leilashami/ The blog of Leila Al-Shami, Syrian-British author and activist.
- http://www.presidentassad.net/ The website of the leading mass murderer of the 21st Century
- http://en.etilaf.org/ The website of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces
- http://syrianobserver.com/EN/ News and features from both pro-regime and opposition sources
syriasources.org is a comprehensive collection of films, books, articles, reports, solidarity groups, videos, aid projects and more in the English language. It is an excellent resource on the origins and development of the conflict in Syria.
PARTICULARLY GOOD ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS:
http://thesyriacampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/KillingtheTruth.pdf - Comprehensive Study of Russian Disinformation on Syria - ABSOLUTELY NOT TO BE MISSED!
https://www.rosalux.de/en/publication/id/40337/assad-or-nobody/ - Yassin al-Haj Saleh Excellent overview of the Syrian conflict!
https://newpol.org/issue_post/syria-the-united-states-and-the-left/ -Ella Wind: Syria, the United States and the Left
Interview with Wendy Pearlman, author of "We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria" July 2017
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