Greater Syria: The History of an Ambition [Paperback]

Pipes, director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, sets out the historical background of the creation of the modern state of Syria and of its political institutions, all of which serve as the foundation to the development of what the author calls Pan-Syrian nationalism--the dream of creating a "Greater Syria" out of today's states of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, plus a portion of Turkey. Some may be critical of Pipes as he presents the history of Syria, particularly in his bias as Western-oriented historian. Nevertheless, his contribution here can not be exaggerated, and the coverage given this ideology will be inserted into the analysis of Syrian politics for years to come. This is best read with Patrick Seale's Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East ( LJ 4/1/89) and Moshe Ma'oz's Asad, The Sphinx of Damascus ( LJ 9/15/89).
- Sanford R. Silverburg, Catawba Coll., Salisbury,
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"A superior book."--Foreign Affairs

"His contribution here cannot be exaggerated, and the coverage given this ideology will be inserted into the analysis of Syrian politics for years to come."--Library Journal

"This timely volume provides insight into an aspect of Arab politics that has often been viewed as an idea whose time had come and gone....Scholarly and provocative."--The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

"This book reflects extensive research and is an invaluable reference tool....The bounty of this fine effort is in the abundant detail and the intellectual sweep of its coverage."--Middle East Insight

"Pipes' new book is particularly timely, and not merely because its subject is Syria. Pipes' braoder message concerns the instability of the Arab states--the weakness of popular identification with existing regimes in their present boundaries....[His] story of Syria's impact on the Palestinians is facinating."--The New Leader "In this book, Daniel Pipes not only presents a very plausible explanation for why Assad acts as he does, he also provides an excellent historical analysis of the concept of "Greater Syria."--Central Asian Survey

"It is a measure of Pipes' achievement that he has not only formulated thought-provoking observations on the complicated interplay of political perceptions concerning Syria, but that he has also added to them."--Middle East Journal

While for many years scholars and journalists have focused on the more obvious manifestations of political life in the Middle East, one major theme has been consistently neglected. This is Pan-Syrian nationalism--the dream of creating a Greater Syria out of an area now governed by Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey. Though not nearly as well known as Arab or Palestinian nationalism and hardly studied in depth, Pan-Syrianism has had a profound effect on Middle Eastern politics since the end of World War I. In Greater Syria, the noted Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes provides the first comprehensive account of this intriguing, important, and little understood ideology.

10 maps, 10 halftones

Daniel Pipes is at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.