The following is an important selection from an excellent book, thats a must-read for anyone wanting a better understanding of not only the biographical history of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, but also the history of The Arab Republic of Syria as an independent nation, and the so called Middle East at large, well beyond the neo-colonial headlines and rhetoric. The 1976 Syrian Intervention in Lebanon - From Patrick Seales Asad, the biography of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad Chapter 17: The Lebanese Trap With Sinai Two Henry Kissinger and Israel shaped an Arab order to suit their convenience - an order Asad was determined to contest. To accept the diktat of Sinai Two would have meant Syrias declining into just another weak state on Israels borders, another Jordan perhaps, living on sufferance, projecting no power, and devoting much of its military energies to protecting Israel from Palestinian raiding. Such an inglorious fate was utterly repugnant to a man of Asads touchy nationalism. The slogan of steadfastness that he then launched conveyed the will to fight back and not simply accept an environment in which, with Egypt neutralized, Israeli supremacy was unchallengeable. With this defiance Asads Syria took its first steps towards becoming a substantial regional power and Israels only remaining Arab opponent of any stature. The notion that Damascus is to be reckoned with in Middle East affairs has in recent years become a commonplace. But it was not always so.... continue here: sonsofmalcolm.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/patrick-seales-book-on-hafez-al-assad.html
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 21:37:27 +0000
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