Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War PDF
Preview Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War
From reviews of the first edition ‘Extraordinary ... the book on Syria I was waiting for’ – Molly Crabapple, artist, author, journalist ‘Gripping ... Cutting through the fog of geopolitics, [Burning Country] refocuses the conflict with the people at its centre’ – Brian Whitaker, Newsweek ‘A detailed history of Syria’s moderate opposition and a meticulous analysis of the origins of today’s violent dynamics’ – New Statesman ‘Explores how Syria’s peaceful uprising gave way to armed insurgency and sectarian jihad ... This is an important, honest and insightful book, well worth anyone’s time’ – Marc Lynch, Washington Post ‘Avoids the easy indulgence of indignation; instead, it elicits the voices of many different Syrians involved in the uprising, acknowledging their suffering as well as their courage, intelligence, and humanity, while explaining the terrible choices that have been forced on them’ – Ursula Lindsey, The Nation ‘The most succinct and convincing insider’s narrative of the uprising’ – Richard Spencer, Daily Telegraph ‘Vital’ – Peter Geoghegan, The Herald ‘Full of fascinating details’ – Robyn Cresswell, New York Review of Books ‘For decades Syrians have been forbidden from telling their own stories and the story of their country, but here Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila al-Shami tell the Syrian story’ – Yassin al-Haj Saleh, Syrian writer, intellectual and former political prisoner ‘By far the best account of the Syrian uprising yet’ – Dr Yasser Munif, Professor of Sociology at Emerson College, co-founder of the Global Campaign of Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution ‘Unique in its combination of first-hand material derived from fieldwork, factual and analytical rigour, and unshakable faith in the Syrian people’s struggle for justice and dignity’ – Thomas Pierret, Lecturer in Contemporary Islam, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh, and Director of the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW) ‘A compelling counter-narrative, rich with the voices of the Syrian people’ – In These Times ‘Anyone who doubts the popular nature of the Syrian Revolution should read this stirring account’ – Ashley Smith, SocialistWorker.org ‘A timely and searing account of Syria’s recent history and the people who shaped it’ – Ceasefire ‘Read this book to better understand the Syrian revolution, the people who made it, and the war from which so many have fled’ – Socialist Review ‘Should be read by as many people as possible’ – Counterpunch ‘A definitive people’s history of the uprising’ – Dissent ‘This is the best book yet interpreting the tragedies that have befallen Syria ... Highly recommended’ – CHOICE ‘One of the best books that have been written about the Syrian revolution turned civil war’ – Book Riot ‘Outstanding’ – Marxist Left Review Burning Country Burning Country Syrians in Revolution and War NEW EDITION Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami First published 2016 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA New edition first published 2018 www.plutobooks.com Copyright © Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami 2016, 2018 The right of Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 0 7453 3784 5 Hardback ISBN 978 0 7453 3782 1 Paperback ISBN 978 1 7868 0278 1 PDF eBook ISBN 978 1 7868 0280 4 Kindle eBook ISBN 978 1 7868 0279 8 EPUB eBook This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental standards of the country of origin. Typeset by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England Simultaneously printed in the United Kingdom and United States of America Contents List of Abbreviations viii Acknowledgements ix Preface x Maps xiii 1 Revolution from Above 1 2 Bashaar’s First Decade 16 3 Revolution from Below 35 4 The Grassroots 57 5 Militarisation and Liberation 77 6 Scorched Earth: The Rise of the Islamisms 108 7 Dispossession and Exile 147 8 Culture Revolutionised 163 9 The Failure of the Elites 183 10 The Start of Solidarity 210 11 Syria Dismantled 222 Further Reading 249 Notes 253 Index 285 List of Abbreviations ANA Activists News Association ASP Arab Socialist Party CDF Committees for the Defense of Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in Syria FSA Free Syrian Army GCC Gulf Cooperation Council HRAS Human Rights Association in Syria ISI Islamic State in Iraq ISIS Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (Daesh) KNC Kurdistan National Council KRG Kurdish Regional Government LCCs Local Coordination Committees NCB National Coordination Body for Democratic Change PFLP-GC Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command PKK Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê) PLO Palestine Liberation Organization PYD Democratic Union Party (Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrator) SHRIL Syrian Human Rights Information Link SNC Syrian National Council SSNP Syrian Social Nationalist Party SRCU Syrian Revolution Coordinators Union SRF Syrian Revolutionaries Front SRGC Syrian Revolution General Commission SRY Syrian Revolutionary Youth UAR United Arab Republic viii Acknowledgements We would like to thank all those, named or anonymous, who shared their stories with us. For various kinds of logistical help, we thank Razan Ghazzawi, Lina Sergie (Amal Hanano), Yassin al-Haj Saleh, AbdulRahman Jalloud, Wassim al-Adel and Olmo. For their reading and comments on sections of the text, we thank Hassan Hassan, Thomas Pierret, Yasser Munif, Rime Allaf and particularly Muhammad Idrees Ahmad. Our friend and trusty IT expert Al MacPhee of macpheeit.co.uk made the maps. We thank everybody at Pluto Press, most of all our editor David Shulman, who initiated this project as an act of solidarity with the Syrian revolution. His support throughout the process of researching and writing the book has been invaluable. And we thank Danny Postel, who organised a vast North American speaking tour for us, and hosted us in Denver, from the goodness of his heart. ix
Description:The list of books you might like
