About the Book

After the death of Syria‘s President Hafez al-Assad in mid-2000 hopes were high that his son and successor, Bashar, might succeed in reforming a system that had become a byword for economic stagnation and the pitiless repression of dissent. For six months, and for the first time in decades, Syrians were able to speak freely, without fear of the hated secret police. Political discussion groups mushroomed. The press started carrying articles openly demanding democracy, and petitions were circulated insisting that democracy was essential not only for its own sake but as a condition for desperately needed investment and economic expansion.

Alarmed at the threat to their monopoly on money and power, regime hardliners struck back, closing down discussion groups and staging show trials at which pro-democracy activists were sentenced to years in jail. The regime cynically cited the need for ‘national unity‘ at a time when Israel under Ariel Sharon and the United States under George W. Bush were subjecting the region to onslaughts that many Arabs saw as new manifestations of an old imperialism.

Based on the testimony of key players, Syria: Neither Bread nor Freedom recounts the drama of the ‘Damascus Spring‘ and its repression, and reveals what happens in a state like Syria to the institutions that occupy the political space between government and governed. From political parties to parliament; from the media to the judicial system and universities, this book lifts the veil of rhetoric and propaganda to reveal a system so demoralized and corrupt that power is wielded for no purpose but power itself. This is Bashar al-Assad‘s legacy and the system which, given time, he hopes to reform.

Commendations

'A devastating critique of one-party rule and unchecked power, and a stirring vindication of Syria‘s courageous civil society movement.' - Rana Kabbani

'Alan George has managed to combine journalistic immediacy with academic reflection to great effect in this fascinating study of modern Syria. Based, as it is, on personal interviews with Syrians directly involved in contemporary developments there, as well as on an awareness of the Syrian reality developed over many years, this book illuminates the real crisis that Syria faces as it tries to restructure the monolithic legacy of the late President Hafiz al-Assad.' - George Joffe, Centre for International Studies, Cambridge University

'Alan George‘s book is an insightful and powerful account of the "Damascus Spring" and the subsequent crackdown on basic freedoms by a regime preoccupied with one thing -- staying in power. This searing documentary takes the reader on a chilling tour inside Syrian politics, the actions of a courageous civil society, and the reactions by abusive power holders. It is an astounding record and at the same time a disturbingly beautiful book.' - Lotte Leicht, Brussels Director, Human Rights Watch

'Alan George takes us to the heart of the "Damascus Spring" to look at the hope it offered for civil society in Syria. His many interviews with the people involved make his book as readable as a novel.' - Reporters Sans Frontieres

'Before President Bush turns his liberating attentions to Syria, he would do well to read Alan George' - Julie Flint in The Guardian

Contents

Introduction
Chronology
Vital statistics
1. ‘A certain equality of misery‘: An overview of Syria
2. Damascus spring: Rise of the civil society movement
3. Damascus winter: Suppression of the civil society movement
4. ‘The leading party in society and the state‘: The Ba‘ath Party
5. ‘The light of freedom‘: Parliament
6. ‘Subject to no authority but the law‘: The legal system
7. ‘Balanced, objective and ethical‘: The media
8. ‘Creating a socialist, nationalist generation‘: Education
9. ‘Our leader…for ever‘? Whither Syria?
Appendices

About the Author

Alan George gained his PhD, on Syria, at Durham in 1978. Since 1984 he has worked as a freelance journalist and researcher, contributing to a wide range of UK and international publications including the Observer, the Independent and the Guardian, and commentating on Middle Eastern affairs for radio and television. He is a former Assistant Director of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), of whose Executive Committee he has been a member for many years. He has visited Syria repeatedly since 1967.