Modern Syria

"Modern Syria: From Ottoman Rule to Pivotal Role in the Middle East tackles the social, economic, and political issues that face modern Syria and explores the historical reasons behind Syria's pivotal role in the Middle East. It deals with the creation of a Syrian national state; the relations between the religious communities and socioeconomic stratums in Syria, and how the power base is likely to change: past socioeconomic development, and how this may develop in the next decade; Syria's policy toward the Arab world and the West following the break from the Soviet Union in the late 1980s; and the Syrian attitude toward the Middle East peace process."--Jacket.