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...