Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East
For more than twenty years, the ruler of Syria, Hafiz ad-Asad, has been at the heart of the struggle for power in the Middle East. A remote, enigmatic figure, he is arguably the most important Arab leader of our time.

Based on unique access to the Syrian ruler, his associates, and his adversaries, Patrick Seale’s biography traces how Asad developed from a simple country boy into a politician of great subtlety in a series of brutal contests with such skilled opponents as Henry Kissinger and Anwar al-Sadat, Golda Meir and Menachem Begin, King Husayn of Jordan, Saddam Husayn of Iraq, and U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz.

Asad’s rule has been dedicated to a battle with Israel—and his fellow Arabs—for supremacy in the Middle East. Seale’s biography tells a tale of war and diplomacy, of frustrated ambition, of intrigue and dirty tricks.

Drawing on interviews with dozens of key participants, Seale explodes many myths about the Six Day War of 1967, the Black September crisis of 1970, the October War of 1973, the Lebanese Civil War of 1975–76, about how Egypt made peace with Israel and Iraq went to war against Iran, and about Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 with its ugly sequel of anarchy, violence, and hostage taking.

Asad’s dramatic story throws light on virtually every important episode of Middle East history since the 1960s.

For many, Asad remains an enigma despite his international prominence. Now for the first time this book reveals the full truth about Asad’s early years, his skill as a conspirator, and his ruthless, often brutal, but always masterful rise to power. He emerges as a leader driven by his personal vision for Syria and the Arab world.

1130939998
Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East
For more than twenty years, the ruler of Syria, Hafiz ad-Asad, has been at the heart of the struggle for power in the Middle East. A remote, enigmatic figure, he is arguably the most important Arab leader of our time.

Based on unique access to the Syrian ruler, his associates, and his adversaries, Patrick Seale’s biography traces how Asad developed from a simple country boy into a politician of great subtlety in a series of brutal contests with such skilled opponents as Henry Kissinger and Anwar al-Sadat, Golda Meir and Menachem Begin, King Husayn of Jordan, Saddam Husayn of Iraq, and U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz.

Asad’s rule has been dedicated to a battle with Israel—and his fellow Arabs—for supremacy in the Middle East. Seale’s biography tells a tale of war and diplomacy, of frustrated ambition, of intrigue and dirty tricks.

Drawing on interviews with dozens of key participants, Seale explodes many myths about the Six Day War of 1967, the Black September crisis of 1970, the October War of 1973, the Lebanese Civil War of 1975–76, about how Egypt made peace with Israel and Iraq went to war against Iran, and about Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 with its ugly sequel of anarchy, violence, and hostage taking.

Asad’s dramatic story throws light on virtually every important episode of Middle East history since the 1960s.

For many, Asad remains an enigma despite his international prominence. Now for the first time this book reveals the full truth about Asad’s early years, his skill as a conspirator, and his ruthless, often brutal, but always masterful rise to power. He emerges as a leader driven by his personal vision for Syria and the Arab world.

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Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East

Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East

by Patrick Seale
Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East

Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East

by Patrick Seale

Paperback(First Edition)

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Overview

For more than twenty years, the ruler of Syria, Hafiz ad-Asad, has been at the heart of the struggle for power in the Middle East. A remote, enigmatic figure, he is arguably the most important Arab leader of our time.

Based on unique access to the Syrian ruler, his associates, and his adversaries, Patrick Seale’s biography traces how Asad developed from a simple country boy into a politician of great subtlety in a series of brutal contests with such skilled opponents as Henry Kissinger and Anwar al-Sadat, Golda Meir and Menachem Begin, King Husayn of Jordan, Saddam Husayn of Iraq, and U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz.

Asad’s rule has been dedicated to a battle with Israel—and his fellow Arabs—for supremacy in the Middle East. Seale’s biography tells a tale of war and diplomacy, of frustrated ambition, of intrigue and dirty tricks.

Drawing on interviews with dozens of key participants, Seale explodes many myths about the Six Day War of 1967, the Black September crisis of 1970, the October War of 1973, the Lebanese Civil War of 1975–76, about how Egypt made peace with Israel and Iraq went to war against Iran, and about Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 with its ugly sequel of anarchy, violence, and hostage taking.

Asad’s dramatic story throws light on virtually every important episode of Middle East history since the 1960s.

For many, Asad remains an enigma despite his international prominence. Now for the first time this book reveals the full truth about Asad’s early years, his skill as a conspirator, and his ruthless, often brutal, but always masterful rise to power. He emerges as a leader driven by his personal vision for Syria and the Arab world.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780520069763
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication date: 02/08/1989
Edition description: First Edition
Pages: 576
Product dimensions: 6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.10(d)

Table of Contents

Preface

PART ONE: THE REVOLUTIONARY
1 Coming Down the Mountain
2 The French Legacy
3 Party School and Army College
4 The Peasants' Revolt
5 The Cairo Conspiracy
6 Capturing the State
7 Capturing the Party
8 Blindly to the Brink
9 The Six Day Walkover
10 The Fight to the Top
11 The Black September Fiasco

PART TWO: THE LEADER
12 Asad's State
13 Sadat, the Unsound Ally
14 The October Illusion
15 Duel with Henry Kissinger
16 1975: The Year Things Fell Apart
17 The Lebanese Trap
18 Jimmy Carter's False Dawn
19 The Enemy Within
20 Standing Alone
21 Ally of the Ayatollah
22 Battle with Menachem Begin
23 The Defeat of George Shultz
24 The Brothers' War (revised 1995)
25 Forging a Nation
26 Dirty Tricks
27 Conclusions: the Balance Sheet

Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
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