Linkage Politics In The Middle East: Syria Between Domestic And External Conflict, 1961-1970

186 Pages·1983·3.328 MB·English

by  Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov

Linkage Politics
in the Middle East
Westview Replica Editions
The concept of Westview Replica Editions is a response to the
continuing crisis in academic and informational publishing. Library
budgets for books have been severely curtailed. Ever larger portions
of general library budgets are being diverted from the purchase of
books and used for data banks, computers, micromedia, and other
methods of information retrieval. Interlibrary loan structures further
reduce the edition sizes required to satisfy the needs of the scholarly
community. Economic pressures (particularly inflation and high in­
terest rates) on the university presses and the few private scholarly
publishing companies have severely limited the capacity of the industry
to properly serve the academic and research communities. As a
result, many manuscripts dealing with important subjects, often
representing the highest level of scholarship, are no longer econom­
ically viable publishing projects—or, if accepted for publication, are
typically subject to lead times ranging from one to three years.
Westview Replica Editions are our practical solution to the problem.
We accept a manuscript in camera-ready form, typed according to
our specifications, and move it immediately into the production
process. As always, the selection criteria include the importance of
the subject, the work’s contribution to scholarship, and its insight,
originality of thought, and excellence of exposition. The responsibility
for editing and proofreading lies with the author or sponsoring
institution. We prepare chapter headings and display pages, file for
copyright, and obtain Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication
Data. A detailed manual contains simple instructions for preparing
the final typescript, and our editorial staff is always available to
answer questions.
The end result is a book printed on acid-free paper and bound in
sturdy library-quality softcovers. We manufacture these books our­
selves using equipment that does not require a lengthy make-ready
process and that allows us to publish first editions of 300 to 600
copies and to reprint even smaller quantities as needed. Thus, we
can produce Replica Editions quickly and can keep even very spe­
cialized books in print as long as there is a demand for them.
About the Book and Author
Linkage Politics in the Middle East: Syria
Between Domestic and External Conflict, 1961-1970
Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov, Hebrew University
Traditional studies of linkage politics tend to assume that internal
political instability leads a government to divert attention from
internal problems by initiating an external conflict or stressing the
pressures of international problems. In contrast, quantitative studies
typically conclude that there is little or no relationship between
internal and external conflicts.
In this case study of Syria’s internal political instability and the
country’s involvement in the Arab-Israeli and inter-Arab conflicts,
Dr. Bar-Siman-Tov criticizes the use of exclusively quantitative
methodology and suggests an alternative combined approach, one
that employs traditional empirical methods to supply the basis for
a well-substantiated quantitative analysis. The quantitative method
alone, he argues, can at best only assist in identifying the degree of
intensity of the relationship between domestic and external conflicts;
there must be recourse to traditional methods in order to clarify the
causes and conditions that underlie that relationship.
Dr. Bar-Siman-Tov is a lecturer in the Department of International
Relations of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. He is the
author of The Israeli-Egyptian War of Attrition 1969-1970: A Case
Study of Limited Local War and several articles dealing with the
Middle East.
Published in cooperation with the Harry S. Truman Research
Institute, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Linkage Politics
in the Middle East
Syria Between Domestic
and External Conflict, 1961-1970
Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov
Westview Press / Boulder, Colorado
To Keren, Ittai and Yonatan
A Westview Replica Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording,
or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publisher.
Copyright © 1983 by Westview Press, Inc.
Published in 1983 in the United States of America by
Westview Press, Inc.
5500 Central Avenue
Boulder, Colorado 80301
Frederick A. Praeger, President and Publisher
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Bar-Siman-Tov, Yaacov, 1946-
Linkage politics in the Middle East: Syria between domestic and external conflict,
1961-1970.
(A Westview replica edition)
1. Syria—Politics and government. 2. Syria—Foreign relations. I. Title.
DS98.2.B37 1983 956.91 82-21878
ISBN 0-86531-945-6
Printed and bound in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ix
INTRODUCTION 1
PART ONE: A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
1. LINKAGE POLITICS AND CONFLICT LINKAGE 9
Linkage Politics 9; Conflict Linkage 10
2. A CRITIQUE OF THE QUANTITATIVE APPROACH 21
Data 21; Methodology 25; Theory 29
3. A PROPOSED METHOD OF RESEARCH 37
The State Level 39; The System Level 43; Synthesis
of the State and System Levels, Conflict: Towards a
Definition 44; Basic Variables of Conflict Linkage 48;
Variants of Conflict Linkage 52
PART TWO: THE CASE STUDY
4. SYRIA: A LINKAGE POLITICS STATE 61
The Geo-Political Dimension 62; The National-Ideologi­
cal Dimension 64; The Communal-Demographic Dimen­
sion 66; The Structural-Institutional Dimension 68;
The Internal Political Dimension 69; Linkage Politics
and Conflict Linkage 70
vu
viii
5. THE SEPARATIST REGIME 1961-1963: CONNEC- 79
TIONS BETWEEN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL
CONFLICTS
Syria’s Political Regime 79; Types of Internal and
External Conflict, Connections between Internal and
External Conflicts 84; The Egyptian-Syrian Conflict 85;
The Syrian-Israeli Conflict 101; The Arab-Israeli
Conflict 106
6. THE BA‘TH REGIME 1963-1966: CONNECTIONS 117
BETWEEN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CONFLICTS
Syria’s Political Regime 118; Types of Internal and
External Conflict 121; Connections between Internal
and External Conflicts, The Egyptian-Syrian Conflict 122;
The Syrian-Israeli Conflict 129; The Arab-Israeli
Conflict 136
7. THE NEO-BATH REGIME 1966-1970: CONNEC- 147
TIONS BETWEEN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL
CONFLICTS
Syria’s Political Regime 148; Types of Internal and
External Conflict 150; Connections between Internal
and External Conflicts 151; The Jadld-Asad Conflict
and External Syrian Conflicts 152; Intensification of
Internal Conflict and Outbreak of the Six-Day War 157;
Epilogue 161
CONCLUSIONS 171
INDEX 173
Acknowledgement
Among the people who have provided assistance and support for this effort,
there are two to whom I owe a particular debt of gratitude. In the earliest and
most difficult phase of research, and throughout the entire research period,
Professors Alan Dowty of Notre Dame University and Yehoshaphat Harkabi
of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem provided a wealth of wise methodologi­
cal and substantive advice on my subject and research direction. I am indebted
as well to Professors Jonathan Wilkenfeld of The University of Maryland and
Moshe Ma‘oz of The Hebrew University for their valuable suggestions.
This study was supported by grants from The Leonard David Institute for
International Relations and the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the
Advancement of Peace, both of The Hebrew University. I am grateful to
Professors Nissan Oren and H.Z. Schiffrin and to Dr. Yitzhak Shichor of
these institutions. I am also indebted to The Shiloah Institute for Middle
Eastern Studies of Tel-Aviv University, which kindly permitted me to use
their archives.
Dafna Allon and Estelle Albeg did yeoman work in translating the book
from Hebrew and typing it, and Laurie Fialkoff did an excellent job of
condensing and styling this English version. The editing and production of the
work was handled by The Truman Institute, under the supervision of their
director of publications, Norma Schneider.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the indispensable contribution of my
wife Ronit, for without her love, patience and understanding this research
would never have been completed.