A MUST READ BOOK : Syria – A Decade of Lost Chances: Carsten Wieland

Repression and Revolution from Damascus Spring to Arab Spring – 336 pages – 16 EURO – Cune Press, Seattle (USA) 2012

“Carsten Wieland has established himself as one of the premier contemporary Syria watchers, with his first hand experience of the country and keen analytical mind. This update of his book is a must read for those seeking to understand the current uprising from a balanced point of view.

The book’s meticulous command of empirical detail, analytically framed and interpreted, makes it an invaluable and historical record. Particularly strong is Wieland’ analysis of the contradictory personality of Bashar al-Asad, of the power struggles within the regime, of the causes and consequences of missed opportunities for reform that might have headed off revolution and of the counterproductive violent response to protestors that propelled it.”

Raymond Hinnebusch, Director at the Center for Syrian Studies, University of St. Andrews