Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect Paperback – Illustrated, September 20, 2016

This book is a fascinating inside view of one of the Syrian centered troubled areas....one of too many in this world. Well researched and written. Written before the the most recent current events in the middle east, the book come across as prophetic. The author has many contact within the various and confusing factions in the Syrian conflict and puts them to good use. The book appears to me to be very balanced, pulling no punches and taking no sides. His sympathies are with all the victims of this ongoing and horribly devastating civil war.

Erlich is a fine foreign correspondent with a long history in the Middle East. His sureness of touch is evident throughout. The early sections of the book seem to be mostly an amalgam of his old dispatches hastily glued together without much of a binding narrative. However, the last third of the book about the past three years of turmoil are far more carefully worked. In all it is a valuable explanation of how Syria got to this point and how the United States made a bad situation far worse with its mindless drive to defeat Assad at all costs.

Reese Erlich’s book Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect, gives us an analysis of several critical factors necessary to understanding Syria’s current day conflict to include: The history of Syria following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire to onset of their civil unrest in 2011, a thorough look at Syria’s long history of political instability, an overview of the ideologies which makeup the factions of their internal conflict, and the foreign influences involved within the Syrian Civil War which further complicate the internal and geopolitical situation. Erlich combines both historical data and his own interviews, often with those of opposing ideologies, to illustrate the complexity of the current situation. While the strengths of his book lie in his ability connect Syria’s past to its ongoing Civil War, there are instances where he veers away from conveying a non-biased point of view, and instead attempts to reinforce his own political ideology into the narrative. Nevertheless, we are presented with a well-organized chronology of the events leading up to the catalysts of the 2011 protests which sparked the complex conflict of opposing ideologies which we bear witness to today.Reese Erlich’s thesis is not clearly defined in the opening of his book, as the foreword is provided by social justice advocate and anarcho-syndicalist Noam Chomsky. Instead of a preliminary thesis to examine throughout his book, we are given an outline of how the 2011 social unrest led to the violent uprisings and Civil War which followed. However, we are provided with Erlich’s thesis in the final pages of his book. Erlich attributes the brutality, unpredictability, and complexity of the Syrian Civil war to the foreign intervention which overshadows the fighting taking place between the many ideologies and religious sects inside of Syria. Erlich (2014) states:The longer fighting continued, the more foreign powers interfered. Russia sent massive amounts of arms and provided diplomatic cover for Assad’s repression. Iran sent arms and military advisors, and it facilitated the entry into Syria of Hezbollah and Iraqi militias. The United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, and Israel all backed the rebels. The CIA trained selected rebels in Jordan. Foreigners bolstered the ranks of al-Qaeda-affiliated and other extremist rebels, further complicating matters. (p. 235)Erlich concludes that despite the complexity of the situation, the Syrian Civil War will eventually come to an end, and the Syrians will rebuild their country and government (Erlich, 2014). The thesis provided in the closing chapter, however factual, is rooted in the uncertainty of what Syria’s political, economic, and religious makeup will look like, what the geopolitical consequences will ultimately be, and what internal struggles are likely to continue following the conclusion of its Civil War. His chronology of the Syria’s history alludes to, that despite hoping for the best possible outcome, which is currently unknown, this will likely not be the last conflict within Syria’s borders.Aside from just providing a chronology of the history, ideologies, and foreign influences within Syria, Erlich’s reporting gives us insight into each of these factors through his interviews with many outside sources. From his interview with members of the United States State Department in Beirut, to former Palestinian refugees, to the members of the Muslim Brotherhood, we are given additional points of view which add further layers of complexity to the overall battlespace. These sources additionally provide us with insight into the ideologies, perceptions, and misconceptions of those effected by the current conflict. These interviews ultimately support Erlich’s final thesis concept in the sense that the impact of the Syrian Civil War will have far and wide reaching consequences which are yet to be seen.However, Erlich’s book will at times veer away from conveying a non-biased point of view on Syria’s history and the topics covered, and instead leans toward “leftist” ideology in an attempt to add depth to his chronology. Two notable instances of Erlich deviating from a neutral stance on the content he provides can be found in both his analysis of the United States’ foreign policy, and of his apologetic attitude toward the Palestinian movement (including Hezbollah). In Chapter 11 he tries to explain the United States’ foreign policy under the Obama administration, but instead resorts to blaming the shortcomings of President Obama’s inability to influence any outcome within Syria on the Republicans, Libertarians, and isolationists within our House and Senate leadership. Erlich (2014) then claims, “Right-wing isolationists, on the other hand, used anti-interventionist rhetoric to push a racist and xenophobic agenda” (p. 223). This is just one example of where we are presented with a very subjective opinion in a book that should otherwise contain only objective information.In Chapter 10, Erlich talks about his upbringing as a Zionist, and then later abandonment his faith following a debate with the outspoken Berkeley Rabbi Isaiah Zelden over the recognized rights of the Palestinians (Erlich, 2014). From this point forward we are subtly presented with Erlich’s disdain for Israel’s occupation of the Golan heights, Israel’s attacks on Syrian soil (despite these attacks being against suspected Syrian arms support to Hezbollah), and Israel’s internal policies towards Arabs within its borders. However, what connects these inferences to his sentiments of Palestinian apologetics comes in the closing lines of his book when he states, “Palestinian leader Hannan Ashrawi told me Palestinians stand in solidarity with the people of Syria. That makes sense to me. The people of Syria' with their tradition of tolerance' will ultimately prevail” (Erlich, 2014, p. 235). Well, of course the Palestinians stand in solidarity with Assad’s Syria, as Syria has been a substantial supporter of Hezbollah in providing them political and military aid.In summary, Reese Erlich’s book Inside Syria provides us with a substantial chronology of the history of Syria leading up to today’s conflict. The complexity of the situation is well conveyed through his use of historical facts and first hand interviews. Erlich’s elaboration upon the factions attempting to influence the current battlespace of Syria’s Civil War, in addition to his conveyance of the geopolitical climate of foreign influences trying to steer this Civil War in their favor, are well articulated and support the fact that there are too many variables to predict the outcome of the current day Syrian Civil War. Aside from the sometimes heavily subjective and politically motivated opinions provided, we are presented with a great reference for gaining a better understanding the conditions and motivating factors of this conflict.

Inside Syria describes the current situation going on from a historical perspective. Gives the situation that is going on from different points of view. Good book to read and understand the beginning and the continued civil war that is going on. The interesting portion to me is the interview with the citizen from this country who want democracy. Very good book

This book provides some useful historical background with interesting insights and first hand experiences in the Kurdish and Golan regions. The author has visited Syria and surrounding countries numerous times over many years and there are excerpts of interviews with a wide range of people on various sides, from Syrian rebels to the Syrian President and supporters. The writing style is easy to read and there are clear source references.Unfortunately the book ignores or casually dismisses essential elements of the real backstory of the conflict. Erlich not only does not challenge or seriously question the established narrative; he promotes it. Here are a few examples:1. The book suggests US and Israel were surprised and passive observers in the start of the uprising. Far from being passive observers, the US and Israel were actively engaged in seeking destablization since the early 2000's. Gen Wesley Clark spoke about the plans for regime change in Sudan, Libya, Syria. Look at each of those countries today.2. In 2007 Seymour Hersh described the "redirection" in US plans and actions including promotion of Islamic fundamentalist forces to destabalize Syria and the region. Why does Erlich not investigate or document this?3. In his interview with President Assad in 2006 Erlich is dismissive of Assad's explanation that they are under pressure and it may not be the best time for a "parliamentary democracy" as advocated by Reese. Isn't it relevant that just a year before Hariri had been assassinated in Beirut leading to charges against Damascus? Isn't it worth examining that the smoke had not even cleared when Bush was accusing Assad in circumstances that would clearly benefit Israel and US policy? Isn't it relevant that just a month after Erlich's interview with Assad Israel would launch its war on Lebanon and especially Hezbollah (supported by Syria)? These are important but missing parts of the backstory.4. What has been the true role of Robert S. Ford, US Ambassador to Syria? This is a subject that needs much more investigation and could have been an important component of the book. Unfortunately Erlich ignores the issue despite evidence that Ford has been a crucial player in events before and after the uprising. Robert Ford previously worked in Baghdad under Negroponte, the man who brought the "El Salvador option" to Iraq. Early in the conflict Robert Ford was cheered by Muslim Brotherhood forces in Hama. But it's not on Erlich's horizon, even though it must have been suggested to him numerous times.5. Were the initial protests peaceful? While this image has been heavily broadcast there are many testimonies, photos and reports from many regions of the country that it is not true. In fact there were armed elements provoking violence from the start. Sharmine Narwani, briefly referred to in the book, has a substantial story on this at RT. Global Research and Counterpunch have also run articles documenting the violence in Homs, Deraa, and Aleppo in contradiction to the myth.6. The author says "Several thousand army and police personnel have been killed." This is a gross inaccuracy indicative of bias. Estimates of Syrian army and police forces killed ranges from 40K to 90k not including another 30 - 40K militia members killed.Reviewing the source material for this book, there is a strong bias toward mainstream and right wing sources and viewpoints. It's too bad that there is not more use of sources such as 'globalresearch', 'al-akhbar'(lebanon), counterpunch, RT and syriasolidaritymovement. The bias of Anne Barnard and the NYT is obvious and clear to any critical observer. Since Erlich portrays himself as being "outside the box" and "radical", this is a glaring contradiction.Unfortunately this book sheds little light on the essential nature of the conflict. Worse it perpetuates some of the myths. Erlich must be aware of the challenges to his narrative so the shortcoming is even more disappointing.Questions which need explanation include: How much of the rebellion is domestic (civil war) and how much is actually foreign attack (foreign fighters, foreign sponsors of domestic or foreign mercenaries)? How do you explain the massive participation in the Syrian Presidential election in June this year? John Kerry, msm and the author all dismissed the election contemptuously but a serious look at the event reveals there was widespread and eager participation.Erlich travels and talks with people on all sides and that's good. Unfortunately he is quick to describe the Damascus government as a "regime" and the rebels as a "liberation movement". This is in accord with NPR and the US State Dept but should be cause for skepticism and criticism by informed progressives.

well written i recommend ...and i come from Syria......

This book was just what I was looking for. It describes the the political and ethnic differences at odds with each other in Syria and gives the historical background. If you want to know more about the Middle East than Israel, this book is a good place to start.