باسم الأب، بشار الأسد: السنوات الأولى في الحكم

by Eyal Zisser, إيال زيسر (المؤلف)

When Basher al-Asad became President of Syria in June 2000, he had a tough act to follow. A quiet, unassuming opthalmologist, trained in Britain, young Asad was successor to his dynamic, wily father Hafiz, who had consolidated power in his ethnically diverse and politically restive state through personal charisma, brute force and political balancing acts. Now, some years after Basher's succession and with mounting international pressure for political and economical reform, his handling of the issues facing Syria raises serious questions for the future stability of the Middle East. This is the first major work on Basher al-Asad. It assesses the durability of Hafiz's legacy, including the influence of the old power-brokers, the effectiveness of Basher's attempts to move away from his father's shadow, and prospects for reform. Above all, it evaluates Basher's continuing hold on power following Syria's humiliating retreat from Lebanon in Spring 2005.

Genres: Politics

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Joey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad portrait of the enigmatic Syrian president. I felt that Zisser captured well the problems Syria faces, but I felt that overall his assessment of the young Al-Asad was unfair. Syria is struggling, to be sure, and Bashar hasn't done much in his 8-9 years in power, but Zisser's harsh judgment of Bashar and the way he blames virtually all of Syria's problems on the young president is unfair. Al-Asad works in a corrupt government still stocked with his father's cronies, with whom he must do daily battle to stay in control. In my view, Bashar deserves a lot of credit for simply staying in power for nearly a decade when many thought he would fall at various rough spots along the way. It's hard to help your country when you must spend most of your time simply trying to keep the hungry wolves in your own government at bay.

[Nour · Rating 4 out of 5]

أربع نجمات لأن فيه العديد من النقاط التاريخية الصحيحة .. غير أنه من وجهة نظر إسرائيلية بحتة .. متوددة للأسد و مساندة له .. على الرغم من وجود عدة تعليقات تضفي على الكتاب شعور بأن الإسرائيلين لم يكن لهم أمل ببشار كما كان لهم بوالده و لكن الحقيقة و الواقع عكس ذلك

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview largely based on media sources in Arabic and Hebrew and little to no interviews or contacts with actual people. Written several years ago, so it lacks any significant analysis on the Lebanon issue and the Hariri assassination vagaries, which are mentioned only in passing at the end. It is also dated by its omission of discussion on the secret, and then not-so-secret Syrian-Israeli negotiations over the last 3 years. Not the author's fault: a new edition could easily fill these gaps.
Mostly important as a distant read of Syrian domestic politics after Bashar al-Asad's assumption of power.

[Sammy_90 · Rating 5 out of 5]

فيما يخص السياسات الداخلية والواقع الاقتصادي والفرص الضائعة، يستحق الكتاب عنوان "على الجرح ملح".

[رواية Riwaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

جط