Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East

Rating:
Summary: Indispensable biography, should be updated
Review: Asad of Syria. A very unknown man. Most know the history of Nasser. Most know the story of Arafat. Most know of Ben Gurion, Rabin and Begin. We all know Saddam or Iraq and the Ayatollah of Iran. What of Syria? This book tells the story of Asad and his nation. How he rose of humble roots as an Alawite minority to an officer in the Syrian air force, to the Ba'ath party and finally to dictator of Syria. How Asad invaded Lebanon and how he never stopped fighting the Israelis. In Fact Syria remains the one country bordering Israel to have not signed a peace treaty and exchanged ambassadors.

Asad is a truly modern man. A secular socialist from a minority sect in Syria he crushed the fundamentalist Muslims at Hama, killing more then 20,000(remmember the only rile is that muslims are allowed to kill eachother but westerns get critisized for dooing so). This he rid his country of the fundamental extremeists that one find in other nations. Neverhteless Asad was a fervent supporter of Habash and the PFLP and he tried to have Arafat killed.

An interesting book the details the inner hatreds between the Arab nations.

Rating:
Summary: the only real book on this man
Review: Asad of Syria. A very unknown man. Most know the history of Nasser. Most know the story of Arafat. Most know of Ben Gurion, Rabin and Begin. We all know Saddam or Iraq and the Ayatollah of Iran. What of Syria? This book tells the story of Asad and his nation. How he rose of humble roots as an Alawite minority to an officer in the Syrian air force, to the Ba'ath party and finally to dictator of Syria. How Asad invaded Lebanon and how he never stopped fighting the Israelis. In Fact Syria remains the one country bordering Israel to have not signed a peace treaty and exchanged ambassadors.

Asad is a truly modern man. A secular socialist from a minority sect in Syria he crushed the fundamentalist Muslims at Hama, killing more then 20,000(remmember the only rile is that muslims are allowed to kill eachother but westerns get critisized for dooing so). This he rid his country of the fundamental extremeists that one find in other nations. Neverhteless Asad was a fervent supporter of Habash and the PFLP and he tried to have Arafat killed.

An interesting book the details the inner hatreds between the Arab nations.

Rating:
Summary: Review
Review: Highly detailed concerning its subject, but I had to quit reading half
way through as there were so many murders of the players, that I
don't see who could be left. Not a good book, as I am sure there are
others that could do a better job.

Rating:
Summary: Review
Review: The book is full of good information on Hafiz Assad including facts that would be very interesting to any Middle East junkie. However, going through the book it all sounds very propoganda-like as if written by some Stalin's official biographer. I specifically found phrases like "Assad was constantly surrounded by enemies" quite amuzing reminding me of some off-shoot Soviet-era figure-head literature. I especially was suprised by spectacular conclusions Seale makes of Israeli and American policy - as if Assad was that wanderful angel manipulated by the cruel world of Nixon, Begin, and Gromyko. What really made me smile is the billions of dollars - claimed by the author - Israel made for itself by selling weapons to Iran. I seems that Seale tries to absolve Assad from Six Days War, to the October War, to the Syrian invasion of Lebanon, to just being a ruthless dictator.

I give this book three stars just because it does contain some very interesting information that I haven't seen before where even though Seale is an Arab-world-apologist he is still considered an expert on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Biased but only source of information about Assad.
Review: Until I got this book I had never read anything about Hafiz al-Asad, the man who ruled Syria with a metal fist for so long it seems for ever. This is basically the sole source of information about this man who liked to stay in the dim light until the day he died. To say that the book is not biased and pro-Assad would be inaccurate. In many parts the author has done his best to "walk the rope" as the Arabian saying implies, that is not to annoy Assad while trying to appear objective and neutral. This is a must read for anyone genuinely interested in learning about the complexities of power struggles in the Middle East. The book stays away from the gory details, and I agree with one of the reviewers that it does not unmask the ugly side(s) of modern Syria under the role of Assad. This gets three stars for being a good reseach piece and for being able to document many interesting details kept hidden for years about the life of Assad and his rule. After reading this book many of the truth that were kept masked about Syria are still not unmasked, and leaves more questions to be asked, of which will it ever be revealed. Two stars off for this disappoinment. I would have put at least one star back if this was noted by the author.

Rating:
Summary: Indispensable biography, should be updated
Review: You can't understand the Arab-Israeli Conflict without understanding Syria, the most unjustly maligned state in the Middle East.

One gains a great appreciation for the achievements of Hafez Asad and Syria.Of all of the Arab states, Syria has remained the most faithful to the vision of the modern Arab nation,despite being under constant harassment and attack from Israel, Islamic terrorists, the United States and even other Arab governments.In fact, it is Syria's faithfulness to secular Arab nationalism which makes it anathema to Israel, the oil interests and the Islamists.

Although I am in no position to judge the truthfulness of Seale's Syrian interviewees they certainly ring true in many cases, and his published sources are impeccable.The "revelations" concerning Israel's arms trade to Iran which some find objectionable are corroborated by Iranian, Israeli, Syrian and Western sources.If not for the activism of Ayatollah Montazeri and Syrian intelligence, Reagan's "arms for hostages" deals and the North network would have never come to light.Syrian claims were fully vindicated.

Seale's account of Kissinger's manipulations and the behavior of other US officials is consistent with what is known from Iranian, Egyptian and Jordanian diplomats.Asad's version of the 1973 War is certainly less contradictory than the self-serving accounts provided by Egyptian, US and Israeli officials.Admirers of Sadat will be enlightened but disillusioned by his betrayal of the Arab cause in 1973 and in the years of negotiation which ensued.

Asad's shrewdness in his handling of the Lebanese Civil War is justly highlighted by Seale, and one comes to appreciate the skill and intelligence behind the Syrian alliance with Iran.The account of the attempted union of Syria and Iraq, which precipitated Saddam Hussein's ultimate power grab in 1979 is also invaluable to an understanding of Middle East politics which is totally at odds with what powerful Western media interests would have us believe.

Incidentally, Seale asserts that the number of people killed in 1982 when the Muslim Brotherhood stronghold in Hama was destroyed was 7000, not 20,000.He clearly states that the figure of 20,000 which was promoted in the West by Syria's enemies was innaccurate and inflated.