Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War

305 Pages·2018·4.07 MB·English

by  Robin Yassin-Kassab

From reviews of the first edition
‘Extraordinary ... the book on Syria I was waiting for’ – Molly Crabapple, artist,
author, journalist
‘Gripping ... Cutting through the fog of geopolitics, [Burning Country] refocuses the
conflict with the people at its centre’ – Brian Whitaker, Newsweek
‘A detailed history of Syria’s moderate opposition and a meticulous analysis of the
origins of today’s violent dynamics’ – New Statesman
‘Explores how Syria’s peaceful uprising gave way to armed insurgency and sectarian
jihad ... This is an important, honest and insightful book, well worth anyone’s time’
– Marc Lynch, Washington Post
‘Avoids the easy indulgence of indignation; instead, it elicits the voices of many
different Syrians involved in the uprising, acknowledging their suffering as well as
their courage, intelligence, and humanity, while explaining the terrible choices that
have been forced on them’ – Ursula Lindsey, The Nation
‘The most succinct and convincing insider’s narrative of the uprising’ – Richard
Spencer, Daily Telegraph
‘Vital’ – Peter Geoghegan, The Herald
‘Full of fascinating details’ – Robyn Cresswell, New York Review of Books
‘For decades Syrians have been forbidden from telling their own stories and the story
of their country, but here Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila al-Shami tell the Syrian
story’ – Yassin al-Haj Saleh, Syrian writer, intellectual and former political prisoner
‘By far the best account of the Syrian uprising yet’ – Dr Yasser Munif, Professor of
Sociology at Emerson College, co-founder of the Global Campaign of Solidarity with
the Syrian Revolution
‘Unique in its combination of first-hand material derived from fieldwork, factual
and analytical rigour, and unshakable faith in the Syrian people’s struggle for justice
and dignity’ – Thomas Pierret, Lecturer in Contemporary Islam, Islamic and
Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh, and Director of the Centre for the
Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW)
‘A compelling counter-narrative, rich with the voices of the Syrian people’ – In These
Times
‘Anyone who doubts the popular nature of the Syrian Revolution should read this
stirring account’ – Ashley Smith, SocialistWorker.org
‘A timely and searing account of Syria’s recent history and the people who shaped
it’ – Ceasefire
‘Read this book to better understand the Syrian revolution, the people who made it,
and the war from which so many have fled’ – Socialist Review
‘Should be read by as many people as possible’ – Counterpunch
‘A definitive people’s history of the uprising’ – Dissent
‘This is the best book yet interpreting the tragedies that have befallen Syria ... Highly
recommended’ – CHOICE
‘One of the best books that have been written about the Syrian revolution turned civil
war’ – Book Riot
‘Outstanding’ – Marxist Left Review
Burning Country

Burning Country
Syrians in Revolution and War
NEW EDITION
Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami
First published 2016 by Pluto Press
345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA
New edition first published 2018
www.plutobooks.com
Copyright © Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami 2016, 2018
The right of Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami to be identified as the authors
of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 0 7453 3784 5 Hardback
ISBN 978 0 7453 3782 1 Paperback
ISBN 978 1 7868 0278 1 PDF eBook
ISBN 978 1 7868 0280 4 Kindle eBook
ISBN 978 1 7868 0279 8 EPUB eBook
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed
and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are
expected to conform to the environmental standards of the country of origin.
Typeset by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England
Simultaneously printed in the United Kingdom and United States of America
Contents
List of Abbreviations viii
Acknowledgements ix
Preface x
Maps xiii
1 Revolution from Above 1
2 Bashaar’s First Decade 16
3 Revolution from Below 35
4 The Grassroots 57
5 Militarisation and Liberation 77
6 Scorched Earth: The Rise of the Islamisms 108
7 Dispossession and Exile 147
8 Culture Revolutionised 163
9 The Failure of the Elites 183
10 The Start of Solidarity 210
11 Syria Dismantled 222
Further Reading 249
Notes 253
Index 285
List of Abbreviations
ANA Activists News Association
ASP Arab Socialist Party
CDF Committees for the Defense of Democratic Freedoms
and Human Rights in Syria
FSA Free Syrian Army
GCC Gulf Cooperation Council
HRAS Human Rights Association in Syria
ISI Islamic State in Iraq
ISIS Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (Daesh)
KNC Kurdistan National Council
KRG Kurdish Regional Government
LCCs Local Coordination Committees
NCB National Coordination Body for Democratic Change
PFLP-GC Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General
Command
PKK Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê)
PLO Palestine Liberation Organization
PYD Democratic Union Party (Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrator)
SHRIL Syrian Human Rights Information Link
SNC Syrian National Council
SSNP Syrian Social Nationalist Party
SRCU Syrian Revolution Coordinators Union
SRF Syrian Revolutionaries Front
SRGC Syrian Revolution General Commission
SRY Syrian Revolutionary Youth
UAR United Arab Republic
viii
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all those, named or anonymous, who shared
their stories with us.
For various kinds of logistical help, we thank Razan Ghazzawi, Lina
Sergie (Amal Hanano), Yassin al-Haj Saleh, AbdulRahman Jalloud,
Wassim al-Adel and Olmo.
For their reading and comments on sections of the text, we thank
Hassan Hassan, Thomas Pierret, Yasser Munif, Rime Allaf and
particularly Muhammad Idrees Ahmad. Our friend and trusty IT
expert Al MacPhee of macpheeit.co.uk made the maps. We thank
everybody at Pluto Press, most of all our editor David Shulman, who
initiated this project as an act of solidarity with the Syrian revolution.
His support throughout the process of researching and writing the
book has been invaluable.
And we thank Danny Postel, who organised a vast North American
speaking tour for us, and hosted us in Denver, from the goodness of
his heart.
ix