Syria stands at the centre of contemporary Middle Eastern affairs but remains poorly understood. Recent writing has focussed on the intentions and objectives of the political leadership in Damascus, yet there are many severe constraints on what senior policy-makers can actually do. This collection presents new research conducted by the contributors on rarely studied aspects of Syrian politics, economics and diplomacy. Essays on the shifting relations between the Ba'th party and the armed forces, burgeoning private enterprise, and the dramatic Turkish-Syrian detente will prove essential reading for anyone with an interest in this pivotal and assertive Middle Eastern state. -- Back cover.

Arabic collection. Published in association with the London Middle East Institute at SOAS.

Changing social structure, shifting alliances and authoritarianism in Syria / Salwa Ismail -- Enduring legacies: the politics of private sector development in Syria / Bassam Haddad -- Civil law and omnipotence of the Syrian state / Zohair Ghazzal, Baudouin Dupret and Souhail Belhadj -- Sunni clergy politics in the cities of Ba'thi Syria / Thomas Pierret -- The Shi'i mausoleums of Raqqa: Iranian proselytism and local significations / Myriam Ababsa -- The 2004 events in al-Qamishli: has the Kurdish question erupted in Syria? / Julie Gauthier -- The Syrian opposition: the struggle for unity and relevance, 2003-2008 / Joe Pace and Joshua Landis -- Partnership with the European Union: hopes, risks and challenges for the Syrian economy / Anja Zorob -- Demystifying Syrian foreign policy under Bashar al-Asad / Bassel F. Salloukh -- The beginning of a beautiful friendship: Syrian-Turkish relations since 1998 / Fred H. Lawson.