Asad: The Sphinx of Damascus: A Political Biography

Asad
	Contents
	Preface
	The Sphinx of Damascus
	1	The Syrian Setting
	Muslims versus Alawites and Druze
	Muslims and Christians
	The Ascendancy of the Urban Oligarchy and the Decline of Other Classes8
	The Development of a Political Community
	Progress and Regression Under the French Mandate16
	2	Alawite Heritage and Arab ideals
	Alawite Roots
	Transformation
	3	A Soldier Climbs to Power
	The Soldier
	Climb to Power
	4	The Man and the Leader
	Asad's Personality Cult
	Asad's Philosophy and Strategy
	The Quest for Legitimacy
	The Jamaa
	The Alawite Security Belt
	5	Relying on the Army
	The Ideological Army'
	Alliance With Non-Alawite Officers
	The Alawite Military Support
	6	The Ba'th instrument
	Nation-Building
	8	Preparing an Arab Crusade Against Israel
	Asad's New Strategies Towards Israel
	9	The Lion of Greater Syria
	Attempts at Arab Solidarity
	Asad's Greater Syria Strategy
	Asad’s Bid to influence Jordan
	Asad and the plo
	10	Asad's Lebanese Venture
	11 Manoeuvring Between the US and the USSR
	The Lebanese Liability
	Asad s Camp David Trauma
	12 The Islamic Jihad and the Hama Massacre
	Economic Difficulties and Corruption
	Repression and Massacre
	13	Asad's Predicament; Terror and Strategic Balance
	Defeat in the 1982 war
	The Final Rift With Arafat?
	Decline and Recovery
	State-run Terrorism and Guerrilla Warfare
	Asad's Concept of Strategic Balance
	14	Asad's Prospects
	Military Parity with Israel
	The Greater Syria Rebuff
	Asad's Iranian Connection
	Asad: A Nation-Builder?
	Conclusion: Asad's Personality and Leadership
	Notes
	Index