Greater Syria: The History of an Ambition [Paperback]

Daniel Pipes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 1992

While for many years scholars and journalists have focused on the more obvious manifestations of political life in the Middle East, one major theme has been consistently neglected. This is Pan-Syrian nationalism--the dream of creating a Greater Syria out of an area now governed by Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey. Though not nearly as well known as Arab or Palestinian nationalism and hardly studied in depth, Pan-Syrianism has had a profound effect on Middle Eastern politics since the end of World War I. In Greater Syria, the noted Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes provides the first comprehensive account of this intriguing, important, and little understood ideology.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Pipes, director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, sets out the historical background of the creation of the modern state of Syria and of its political institutions, all of which serve as the foundation to the development of what the author calls Pan-Syrian nationalism--the dream of creating a "Greater Syria" out of today's states of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, plus a portion of Turkey. Some may be critical of Pipes as he presents the history of Syria, particularly in his bias as Western-oriented historian. Nevertheless, his contribution here can not be exaggerated, and the coverage given this ideology will be inserted into the analysis of Syrian politics for years to come. This is best read with Patrick Seale's Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East ( LJ 4/1/89) and Moshe Ma'oz's Asad, The Sphinx of Damascus ( LJ 9/15/89).
- Sanford R. Silverburg, Catawba Coll., Salisbury,
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A superior book."--Foreign Affairs

"His contribution here cannot be exaggerated, and the coverage given this ideology will be inserted into the analysis of Syrian politics for years to come."--Library Journal

"This timely volume provides insight into an aspect of Arab politics that has often been viewed as an idea whose time had come and gone....Scholarly and provocative."--The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

"This book reflects extensive research and is an invaluable reference tool....The bounty of this fine effort is in the abundant detail and the intellectual sweep of its coverage."--Middle East Insight

"Pipes' new book is particularly timely, and not merely because its subject is Syria. Pipes' braoder message concerns the instability of the Arab states--the weakness of popular identification with existing regimes in their present boundaries....[His] story of Syria's impact on the Palestinians is facinating."--The New Leader "In this book, Daniel Pipes not only presents a very plausible explanation for why Assad acts as he does, he also provides an excellent historical analysis of the concept of "Greater Syria."--Central Asian Survey

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 26, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195060229
• ISBN-13: 978-0195060225
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,176,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pan-Syrianism as opposed to pan-Arabism., March 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Greater Syria: The History of an Ambition (Paperback)

Excellent and complete analysis of the greater Syria ideology. In this book, Daniel Pipes shows how attractive such ideology must have been in the past on many in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and even Iraq. To those not familiar with the concepts of pan-Syrianism or the "Fertile Crescent", he clarifies such notions as opposed to pan-Arabism. In doing so, he demonstrates how hard it is to eradicate existing borders, regardless of the extent of their alleged artificial character. The author demonstrates clearly the obsolete aspect of the Greater Syria ideology which dates back to the thirties and has failed to evolve with time. For instance, it overlooks the legitimacy these states have acquired over three quarters of a century, the patriotic feelings of the majority of their citizens, and the fact that they developed and evolved each in its own way. The analysis is exhaustive, and the book full of quotations and relevant historical events. Today's Middle East is one of the world's most unstable regions. Reading this book is a must to those seeking to understand the complexities of the interacting politics between the states that compose today's Middle East from the eastern Mediterranean all the way to Mesopotamia.

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greater Syria and the Syrian Arab Republic, October 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Greater Syria: The History of an Ambition (Paperback)

This is a must read book for those that are interested in the history and evolution of the Greater Syria ideology that claims that the many peoples of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq are one " Syrian People ". This book takes you into an excellently detailed history of the ideology and the various groups that have embraced the ideology and their various reasons for doing so. The latter part of the book details the rise of the Alawites in Syria and their embracing of Greater Syria and its consequences on the region.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An analysis of Pan-Syrianism, April 2, 2003

By 

Joe "Joe" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greater Syria: The History of an Ambition (Paperback)

Daniel Pipes claims that pan-Syrianism has not received the scholarly attention it deserves because most Middle East scholars focus on pan-Arabism. Pan-Syrianism is defined as the goal of uniting lesser Syria (current borders), Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan (and sometimes Iraq) into what is called Greater Syria. Approximately half of the book is quotations from politicians, writers, clerics, from Syria, other Arab countries, and Europe. The citations have one goal - to show that pan-Syrianism has been a significant ideology in influencing players in Syria and neighboring countries before and after colonialism. The rest of the book consists of a narrative of the British/French/Arab/Maronite/Alawite participation in creating the borders of Syria, the Baath party and other political groups, relations between the minorities in Syria and the Sunni Muslim majority, relations between Syria and its neighboring countries (especially Lebanon), and the coups in Syria. The sheer number of quotes can get in the way after awhile, but the side benefit is extensive endnotes of primary and secondary sources on the history of modern Syria.
By the way, it did not contain too much about Israel, except the claim that minority status of the ruling 'Alawi minority would probably have been indifferent to Israel except for their desire to avoid the charge from the Sunni Muslim majority of been pro-Zionist; and a few quotes from Israelis about pan-Syrianism. I saw nothing that could be construed as anti-Arab or pro-Israel.
Whether one agrees or not with his thesis about pan-Syrianism's importance in shaping the political history of the region, the book was a good introduction to modern Syria's political history.