Power and policy in Syria : intelligence services, foreign relations and democracy in the modern Middle East / Radwan Ziadeh.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-219) and index.

1. Birth of the Third Republic and Establishing Syrian Authoritarianism -- The Third Republic and the Syrian Authoritarianism -- The Third Republic and the Pyramid-building Theory -- The Governmental Administration -- The Ba'th Party -- The Security Organs -- Asad's Heritage -- The Syrian Elite and Democracy -- 2. Inheriting Syria from Father to Son: Hafez al-Asad's Last Days -- Transfer of Power -- Bashar al-Asad and the Game of the 'Old Guard' -- Political Institutions in the Era of Bashar al-Asad -- 3. Damascus Spring: The Rise of the Opposition in Syria -- 4. Bashar al-Asad and Foreign Policy -- Foreign Policy Decision-making -- Syria-Lebanese Relationships: Discomfort in the Brotherhood -- Syria-Lebanese Relations after 2000 -- Syria after the Lebanon War: Reviving its Regional Role -- The Syrian-Arab Disagreement during the War -- Putting an End to the War -- Syria's Return to Active Diplomacy -- The Syrian Exploitation of the War -- Syria's Foreign-policy Challenges -- 5. The Challenge of Political Islam: Muslim Brotherhood and Democracy -- The Early Relationship between Religion and State in Syria -- The Establishment of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria -- Double Religious Containment Policy -- Climax of Armed Conflict -- The Rise of the Religious Tide in Syria.

In an unstable Middle East, beset by regional tensions and repercussions of the global war on terror, Syria is a key player. The bloodless coup by General Hafez al-Assad, in 1970, put in place a powerful autocratic machinery at the core of the state which continues till today under the control of his son Bashar. Here Radwan Ziadeh presents a fresh and penetrating analysis of Syria's political structure - a 'despotic' state monopoly, a bureaucratic climate marked by fear, and the administrative structure through which centralized control is exercised. With a focus on Syria's intelligence ..