Syria at bay : secularism, Islamism and 'Pax American' / Carrsten Wieland.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Wrested from slumber -- Bashar and breaches in the leadership -- The pillars of regime legitimacy -- Pro-Palestinian rhetoric -- Pan-Arab rhetoric -- Secularism -- Religious minorities -- Domestic security -- Social balance -- Bashar : chaos in Iraq -- The negative balance -- Political disillusionment -- The economic time bomb -- Human rights violations -- Corruption -- Che Guevara not Usama : Syrian society and Western ideals -- Excursus : secularism in Syria -- Is Baathism bankrupt? -- Opposition, Islam, and the regime -- The secularist -- The Islamists -- The new Islamic alternative -- Syria the rogue state? -- The Palestinian issue -- Iraq and the border issue -- The Golan and Lebanon -- Contradictory US policy -- Political options for the European Union.