Description
Book SynopsisChristopher Solomon is an analyst specializing in Middle East history and politics, and works for a US defense consultancy in Washington, D.C., USA.
Trade ReviewA needed analysis of a dynamic group pursuing political change ... This book should be required for advanced students navigating the modern history of the Levant. * Choice *
Provides the reader with an accessible and comprehensive overview of the [SSNP's] history. * The Middle East Journal *
Chris Solomon provides an insightful and invaluable account into one of the oldest political movements in the Levant. Abundant with assassinations, betrayals and military coups, there is no dull moment in the history of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party which continues to be very relevant today as Solomon demonstrates in this book. It is a vital resource for anyone aiming to understand Levantine politics and modern history. -- Rim Turkmani, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
In Search of Greater Syria is interesting, bright, eloquent and readable, presenting the reader with the first comprehensive picture of the history of the SSNP. This is therefore a must-read book for anyone seeking to learn the history of the party but also the turbulent history of Syria and Lebanon. * Eyal Zisser, Tel Aviv University, Israel *
In Search of Greater Syria is the most detailed account ever written on the fascinating political movement of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.Christopher Solomon analyses with great skill how this relatively small anti-sectarian and secular party, which eschewed ethnicity and language in favor of history and territory, has been attractive for people from minorities in both Syria and Lebanon. He shows eloquently how the SSNP developed from a fierce competitor of the Ba’th Party in Syria during the 1950s, into being its ally during the Syrian civil war (which started in 2011). While the SNNP over the decades pragmatically scaled down its original ideal of a wider Fertile Crescent unity (including Iraq) in favor of a more restricted unity of a Greater Syria (including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine), the pan-Arab ideals of the Ba’th regime in Syria likewise faded down in favor of a kind of pan-Syrianism, as a result of which both parties, ideologically speaking, came closer to one another. This study shows convincingly that the SSNP will be an essential factor to watch in the future, as long as this party does not overplay its hand, as a result of which it would risk renewed persecution. -- Nikolaos van Dam, former Dutch ambassador and author of Destroying a Nation: The Civil War in Syria.
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction and why the SSNP matters Chapter 2: The Party of the Martyr Chapter 3: The SSNP’s Ideology Chapter 4: The SSNP’s beginnings in Syria Chapter 5: Under the shadow of Nasser Chapter 6: The Lebanese Civil War Chapter 7: From guerillas to politicians, the SSNP in Lebanese politics Chapter 8: The SSNP in the Syrian Civil War Chapter 9: Women, youth, and social media Chapter 10: The SSNP’s future in Syria Key figures and factions A list of SSNP presidents A timeline of the SSNP's factions and historic splits
