Syria Burning: a Short History of a Catastrophe Free

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Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe Syria Burning by Charles Glass. What are the origins of the Syrian crisis, and why did no one do anything to stop it? Militant Sunni groups, such as ISIS, have taken control of large swathe What are the origins of the Syrian crisis, and why did no one do anything to stop it? The impact of this catastrophe is now being felt on the streets of Europe and the United States. Veteran Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe East expert Charles Glass combines reportage, analysis, and history to provide an accessible overview of the origins and permutations defining the conflict. He also gives a powerful argument for why the West has failed to get to grips with the consequences of the crisis. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published March 22nd by Verso first published June 10th More Details Other Editions 9. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Syria Burningplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Jul 03, David M rated it it was amazing. Practically everyone has gotten Syria wrong - horribly, catastrophically wrong. This short volume should be required reading for the whole human species. The author is remarkably compassionate and even-handed especially when you consider he was held hostage by Hezbollah in the eightiesbut in the end there's really no getting around just how miserably the world has failed Syria. Not a sin of omission, as someone like Samantha Power might have you believe, but a thousand different sins Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe comm Practically everyone has gotten Syria wrong - horribly, catastrophically wrong. Not a sin of omission, as someone like Samantha Power might have you believe, but a thousand different sins of commission. Yes, Assad bears primary responsibility for the bloodshed. His decision to fire on unarmed demonstrators in is what precipitated the whole catastrophe. That said, the important question is not whether Assad deserves to be president nobut what is likely to replace him were he to fall. The gruesome answer has come in the form of pogroms against religious minorities in rebel-controlled areas of Syria. Severed Alawite heads on stakes in the public square. All the major actors end up looking pretty horrible in Glass's telling, but the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia deserves to be singled out. They have a long history of coopting revolutions for their reactionary ends. This goes back to the seventies, when they opted to sponsor Arafat over the more progressive wing of the Palestinian liberation movement. Isis was Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe the latest, most extreme incarnation. They learned their hate from KSA. All in all, a cancer on humanity. Since the violence in Syria has wound down a bit, Yemen has become the site of the world's greatest humanitarian crisis, and once again Saudi fingerprints are everywhere. This time not as a sponsor of proxy violence, but as direct aggressor. The looming Yemeni holocaust will be entirely on the hands of the Saudis and their backers in the west. This is true, and yet we shouldn't let it obscure a couple of other true things. It arose as response to the American invasion and occupation of the Iraq, then fed off the feedback loop of chaos with Syria. The myth of Obama's non-intervention needs to be debunked. After Assad brutally put down the peaceful democratic demonstrators in '11, there arose the armed opposition. These should be seen as two separate phenomena. In contrast to the indigenous, largely secular movement for democracy, the armed rebellion was mainly jihadist and always dependent on outside powers for arms and funding. Many of these militias would quickly become too insane for their sponsors to control or tolerate. Neither Isis nor Nusra Front actually took orders from a foreign government; that doesn't change the fact that they couldn't have existed, or fought the way the did, were it not for outside sponsorship. The idea that America should have done more to intervene militarily in Syria is dangerous and demonstrably false. The Syrian tragedy is largely that of a nation being treated like a chess board. There is some historical context in the book that readers might find useful, but there is very little about the present crisis that is either accurate, insightful or unbiased. Glass is at pains to conceal the imbalance of forces in Syria and tries to create a false parity by mentioning regime crimes in passing while focusing most Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe his attention on the opposition's shortcomings. He makes the task easier for himself by lumping the opposition together with ISIS a monstrous outfit that terrorizes There is some historical context in the book that readers might find useful, but there is very little about the present crisis that is either accurate, insightful or unbiased. He makes the task easier for himself by lumping the opposition together with ISIS a monstrous outfit that terrorizes Syrians and which Syrian rebels have been fighting for over two years. Glass also reprises old-conspiracy theories, including a dubiously worded mention of the chemical massacre, which he curiously tries to blame equally on the victims. Glass acknowledges that the uprising was initially peaceful, but, like other ideologues, fails to mention why it got militarized except suggesting that it was all a foreign conspiracy. Overall Syria Burning gives the impression a book hastily put together by a publisher to make a quick buck off a hot topic. It neither enlightens nor edifies. View 2 comments. Sometimes I am troubled by the thought that Left-leaning presses regard occasionally regard the discipline of editing as an ideologically conservative pitfall and one conducive to reifying existing power structures. Perhaps people are just people and being lazy isn't a political statement? Whatever the contributing factors, this is a poorly made book about a complex conflict which has exacted a horrific cost on its people, the region and the world at large. The thesis asserted by Glass is that S Sometimes I am troubled by the thought that Left-leaning presses regard occasionally regard the discipline of editing as an ideologically conservative pitfall and one Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe to reifying existing power structures. The thesis asserted by Glass is that Syria is a political not ethnic construct, established by Sykes-Picot for the enrichment of the UK and France disregarding the human populations of the Levant. No one can argue with that. This is a messy book which does Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe a portrait of historic precedents within Syria but lacks the sequence and structure to be persuasive. View 1 comment. Jan 24, Josiah Hawkins rated it it was ok Shelves: warread-so-you-dont-have-to. This is a pretty hard Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe to review, because on the one hand it contains a lot of important history but on the other side it barely does what it's supposed to do. When the Syrian Civil War broke out in most people expected it to topple the government within the year, if the previous protests of the Arab Spring were to be believed another Middle Eastern country would convert to a democratic Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe. Now the country is six years removed from the beginning of the uprising and after a number o This is a pretty hard book to review, because on the one hand it contains a lot of important history but on the other side it barely does what it's supposed to do. Now the country is six years removed from the beginning of the uprising and after a number of complex moves it would appear as though the war could go on for ever. I do agree with the forward of Syria Burning in that there is a need for a conscience well researched history of the conflict, but this is not it. I would venture to guess that most people don't understand much about the conflict aside from Gary Johnson's Aleppo gaffe and the other stories surrounding the siege of that city so a "Short History of a Catastrophe" would probably be well received and do wonders to educate the populace. A piece of advice to anyone writing a history book surrounding one topic, actually talk about it. This particular book contains a lot of interesting history about Syria's issue with governmental stability and their place in the middle east, but very little information about the current conflict facing the nation. There is a short timeline at the books beginning but after that Mr. Glass only dedicates a few paragraphs per chapter to the modern conflict and fills the rest of them with history. The other problem is that he doesn't keep a consistent timeline that moves Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe with the years, he jumps around time periods from paragraph to paragraph and aside from a couple of times where he uses this style to compare history to modern day, this writing style only ends up confusing rather than informing. I also noticed a heavy amount of personal opinion in the book when, in my mind, if your going to write a history book your personal opinion should remain out of it. He mentions Israel and Zionists in a slanderous tone multiple times, doesn't get a Sunni opinion of the conflict, and generally espouses what he thinks rather than just reporting. The book isn't all bad however, I can say that I learned a lot about Syria as a country. I also learned a lot of interesting information about the past issues that Syria has had trying to find a government for it's people. So I would certainly recommend this book Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe your looking for a brief history of governmental issues in Syria but apart from the short timeline in the beginning and few paragraphs in the main body of the work there is little information here. To me it seems like a rushed attempt to capitalize on a news story when it should have been a book that gives historical context to explain a modern issue. Apr 13, Hussein Hafez rated it it was ok. An interesting but clearly biased account of the events in Syria. Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe by Charles Glass, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

Skip to main content. Search form Search. Advanced Search. Add to Wish List. Description What are the origins of the Syrian crisis, and why did no one do anything to stop it? The impact of this catastrophe is now being felt on the streets of Europe Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe the United States. Veteran Middle East expert Charles Glass combines reportage, analysis, and history to provide an accessible overview of the origins and permutations defining the conflict. He also gives a powerful argument for why the West has failed to get to Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe with the consequences of the crisis. About the Author Charles Glass is an author, journalist and broadcaster, who specializes in the Middle East. With his deep experience of the Levant, that is exactly what Charlie Glass offers the student of the Middle East in this timely, elegant and penetrating study of turmoil that has reshaped the region. Glass has been traveling in and writing about the Middle East since the s … his view on how the conflict has escalated and why it has not taken the turns many others anticipated make for enlightening reading. Shopping cart There are no products in your shopping cart. Search Audiobooks. Limit of 10 People. Follow Us! Email Newsletter. Create new account Request new password. Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe (Paperback) | Boswell Book Company

The impact of this catastrophe is now being felt on the streets of Europe and the United States. Veteran Middle East expert Charles Glass combines reportage, analysis, and history to provide an accessible overview of the origins and permutations defining the conflict. He also gives a powerful argument for why the West has failed to get to grips with the consequences of the crisis. What are the origins of the Syrian crisis, and why did no one do anything to stop it? Read more Read less. Great Indian Festival. Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Mark Galeotti. With his deep experience of the Levant, that is exactly what Charlie Glass offers the student of the Middle East in this timely, elegant and penetrating study of turmoil that has reshaped the region. Glass has been traveling in and writing about the Middle East since the s … his view on how the conflict has escalated and why it has not taken the turns many others anticipated make for enlightening reading. Charles Glass is Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe author, journalist and broadcaster, who specializes in the Middle East. Customer reviews. How are Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe calculated? Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness. Review this product Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a product review. Top reviews Most recent Top reviews. Top reviews from India. There are 0 reviews and 0 ratings from India. Top reviews from other countries. Translate all reviews to English. Verified Purchase. In fact it is a rambling, journalistic melange of history, anecdote and opinion, free of any references or documentation. There is no obvious chapter progression or clear layout of the history of modern Syria. In each section of the book you can be reading a paragraph on the effects of the recent bombing campaign in Aleppo or Homs and in the next paragraph be reading about the Sykes — Picot Agreement of March However, you will look in vain for a straightforward chronological analysis of these events and their relevance to the present civil war in Syria. The culpability of Western democracies and the Arab monarchies in supporting the rebels in Syria is mentioned but not dealt with in any detail. Those who gather their news from a Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe of sources will find nothing new in this book. We still await a systematic analysis and clear guide to the tragic events in Syria and the Middle East. A very disappointing book. I heard Mr Glass give a radio interview and he was impressively erudite and well-informed, hence I bought the book. It is basically a long piece of journalism rather than historical analysis - some insights but mostly anecdotes, unsourced assertions, lots of quotations often a bad sign and little structure. Not great, I will be giving this copy away and wouldn't buy it again. Excellent book that cleary outlines the recurring Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe that besets this nation and its people. Not assisted by western world intervention and misplaced restructuring of borders. One person found this helpful. Shows the contradictions of western policy in the region. Syria Burning: A Short History of a Catastrophe abuse. Interessante il capitolo sull'opposizione armata in Siria al mandato francese degli anni '20, una vicenda parallela alla guerra odierna. Report abuse Translate review to English. See all reviews. Back to top. Get to Know Us. English Choose a language for shopping. Length: pages. Word Wise: Enabled. Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled. Page Flip: Enabled. Language: English. Audible Download Audio Books. DPReview Digital Photography. Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands. Amazon Prime Music 60 million songs.