Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War

It is hard to properly explain the importance of this book. The repercussions of what's happening in Syria, and especially the catastrophic reaction of much of the Global 'Left', will be felt for decades to come.For transparency's sake, let me introduce myself before I continue. I am a writer, originally from Beirut and of part Palestinian origins, currently an MA student at SOAS, University of London and about to start my PhD. I am the regional editor at Global Voices for the MENA region and I usually write on Israel-Palestine, Syria and Lebanon for a number of publications. I'm also involved with a number of Syria solidarity groups, especially those working with refugees. I do not claim expertise, but I have been following Syria since 2011 with a near-daily obsession. I know what it means to be lost when it comes to Syria and I know for a fact that many of us who call ourselves leftwing anti-imperialists have allowed our ideological priorities to betray the needs of the people on the ground. I've seen otherwise-sober leftists lose the plot and even make lazy excuses for the genocidal fascist dictatorship that is the Assad regime when it comes to Syria. I've seen otherwise-sober leftists adopt the xenophobic, Islamophobic, neo-colonial and nativist rhetoric usually associated with the Far Right and I am convinced that we, the 'Left', are to blame for galvanizing the rise of rightwing nativism in the West. And I've seen otherwise-sober self-proclaimed anti-Zionists adopt the most right-wing version of the Zionist narrative on Palestinians when it comes to Syrians fighting the regime. To put it bluntly: the Left has tolerated and even supported Fascism. For those of you aware of the history of political thought, you will understand how dangerous this is. And although I have not had the pleasure of officially meeting them, I am in contact with both Leila and Robin.To get back to the book. Leila and Robin have written one of the books of the Syrian revolution. This is not a small statement. In the book, they expertly narrate the Syrian revolution from Day 1. They provide sound historical and political analysis and they back their arguments with the facts on the ground. They quote activists, some of whom have since been killed, kidnapped or imprisoned, at length. In addition to the valuable content provided, both Leila and Robin happen to be great writers.This is a must read.(I'll try and prepare a longer and more detailed review soon)

Powerfully written and painstaking in detail, perhaps its most important contribution is collating numerous testimonies from that "moderate opposition" the regime denies exists. Countless secular, leftist, liberal, and anti-sectarian voices, which have been largely drowned out in the news, are heard clearly here. Indeed, the authors show how the militarisation and sectarianisation of the conflict emerged in part because of the relentless persecution of these actors early in the uprising, even as sectarian militants were being released as "concessions".An important book.

A great read and very informative

So far the most comprehensive account of the Syrians' demise.

A brilliant, heartbreaking yet still inspiring insight into the Syrian uprising and crisis. All the more valuable for being written by and from the perspective of Syrians involved in the revolution.

Superbly sad book.

The best book I've read about the Syrian uprising and its context. Exceptional journalism, brilliantly written.

Excellent book, well written and shocking in its content also for someone who has followed the war from day one.

Author has provided brief details about how Syria has turned under dictatorship of Bashar family. After that it provides great explanation how once peace movement turned into civil crisis because of various internal and external factors.

I find this a really good and informative account of the events in Syria. The book gives some useful background and goes on to discuss what has been happening in Syria and around the world in response and it's very clearly and well written.

Die Autoren komprimieren in ihrem Buch das gesammelte Wissen über die syrische Revolution sowie die Reaktion der Diktatur und bieten eine gute Basis für das Verständnis der aktuellen Geschehnisse in Syrien. Hervorzuheben ist der ständige Bezug auf Quellen aus Syrien und die Akteure der Revolution.

Informative, intelligent, compassionate. A great exposition of one of the great tragedies of our age. We see a people struggling to live meaningful lives as a diverse national community, up against a coalition of fascists whose sole intention is to stamp authoritarian rule on the population.Of particular interest to me was how local communities are organising themselves into people-centred, democratic structures in order to foster the development of caring, cooperative values and at the same time, to defend themselves against the brutality of the regime and its allies.Required reading for all leftwing social activists in particular. There's so much to learn in terms of what one can do in one's own communities.

I had the privilege of meeting the authors when they did a book tour in the United States and continue to keep in touch with them via their blogs. This is the best researched and documented book on the conflict and I urge everyone to read it. I would question anything written by non Arabic speaking Westerners that make it all about the US or all about the west.

Fantastic truth to power account: The revolution protesters' main enemy is the regime - Bashar al-Assad. These were peaceful protesters against a repressive regime. Since his scorched-earth policy and fomenting sectarian divisiveness, the revolution has had to use guns. With Soviet, Iranian and even U.S.policy that claims that ISIS is the primary enemy, has fed into Assad's hands. Everybody is the enemy of ISIS, but even my hero Obama, to help secure the Iran nuclear deal, allows us to think ISIS is the real culprit. All the revoluyionaries want is not for Obama to bomb the hell out of Assad, but to supply the rebels and let them fight their own battles. This book explains in horrifying detail the development of the revolution, from background Western influences, to on-the-ground democratic resistance to the steady anniliation of innocent civilians of his own country AS A STRATEGY OF WAR, to modern outside influences ,including Moslem countries and forces in the region, Even the plight of supportive communities who have helped hundreds of thousands of starving refugees in Jordon, for example, are now srarving themselves...and so much more about the internal complicated strange bedfellows that have emerged. What a tragic story boldly told.

Extraordinarily well written, accessible and inspiring. A must-read for all serious about understanding Syria today.

This is one of the most compelling and accurate books on the Syrian crisis I’ve seen thus far. Read interviews, anecdotes, and verified reports on how the revolution started and what led to the current humanitarian crisis. Be prepared to be horrified at humanity - but be grateful to know the truth about Syria.

It took me a long time to read this, because there was a lot of information and it wasn't something I could read in long sittings. It was clearly written and well organized, and absolutely fulfilled my goal in reading it to become more informed about the Syrian refugee crisis and it's causes.

I had the honor of meeting the authors of this wonderful book and was fortunate to hear them speak in even greater detail about the content. They were so kind and willing to answer any questions that I had. They are so passionate about their work and will go to the ends of the Earth to ensure that the voices of those in Syria are heard. This is a must read!

An exceptionally well written book and an amazing eye opener on Syria and its revolution, which has been so poorly understood, and documented by the international press

They just did a terrific job with this book. Very scholarly, but also with great soul. Thank you!

I gave the book to my oldest son and he was very happy with it. He said he learned a lot.

Great book. I taught college courses on Syrian history, society and civilization several years ago, and I feel that this book provided an excellent, though stark and horrifying, narrative on the chaos enveloping Syria since 2011. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to make sense of what has and is happening in Syria. This book arrived in the mail in time, and in perfect shape.

Great book. I would definitely recommend it to those interested in reading about the war in Syria.