Fragile Nation, Shattered Land: The Modern History of Syria

by James A. Reilly

The Syrian state is less than 100 years old, born from the wreckage of World War I. Today it stands in ruins, shattered by brutal civil war. How did this happen? How did the lands that are today Syria survive incorporation with the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century and the trials and vicissitudes of the Sultan's rule for four centuries, only to collapse into civil war in recent years?Arguably it was the Ottoman period that laid the fragile foundations of a state that had to endure a turbulent twentieth century under French rule, tentative independence, a brutal and corrupt dictatorship and eventual disintegration in the twenty-first.

Across a diverse cast of individuals, rich and poor, James Reilly explores these fractious and formative periods of Ottoman, Egyptian and French rule, and the ways that these contributed to the contradictions and failings of the rule of the Assad family; and to a civil war which produced the so-called Islamic State. In charting Syria's history over the last five centuries in their entirety for the first time, Reilly demonstrates the myriad historical, cultural, social, economic and political factors that bind Syrians together, as well as those that have torn them apart. Based on primary sources, recent historiography in English, French and Arabic and more than 30 years' experience living and working in the region, this is the essential book for understanding modern Syria and the Middle East.

Genres: History, Middle East

312 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2018

Reviews

[Matthew Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made for an informative read detailing the geographical, ethnic, religious and political makeup of the modern state of Syria and is a great piece of background reading before picking up works more narrowly focussed on the Syrian Civil War which was very much my intention here. I found particularly interesting the discussion of the divisions between the two relative power centres in the country in Damascus and Aleppo and also the political chaos in the wake of Syrian independence and the birth of the nation of Israel until the Baath took power.

[Hakan Kaysı · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins with the Ottoman conquest of Syria in the 16th century, which is described as the beginning of modern Syrian history. I enjoyed reading the story of Syria until the recent uprising. I liked the author's style of narration. It helped me understand the background of some of the ethnic tensions in Syria and how colonial history deepened differences among various religious and ethnic groups. However, the argument in the book that draws parallels between Ataturk, the founder of modern Türkiye, and Hafez al-Assad, the founder of a sectarian dictatorship in Syria, is baseless and completely false.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good broad introduction to the history and politics of modern Syria.

[dennisli · Rating 4 out of 5]

说明文性质的书，叙述了叙利亚从法国殖民时期到现代的发展过程。翻译水平很一般，不太容易读。