DESTROYING A NATION - THE CIVIL WAR IN SYRIA

Nikolaos van Dam
who most recently served as the Netherlands’ Special Envoy for Syria, earned a well-deserved reputation as a deeply knowledgeable specialist on Syrian politics and society. His publications, notably his book, The Struggle for Power in Syria: Sectarianism, Regionalism, and Tribalism in Politics, remains essential reading for students and scholars of the country. In the wake of his most recent diplomatic assignment, Ambassador Van Dam has published an informed and often insightful diagnosis of the violent conflict that has engulfed Syria since 2011, Destroying a Nation: The Civil War in Syria (I.B. Tauris, 2017).

In Syria, the Arab Spring protests of 2011 brought about a civil and sectarian conflict, turning the country into a breeding ground for extremism and terrorism. It has been both a war among Syrians and a war by proxies which has devastated huge parts of Syria. In his new book Syria expert and author Nikolaos von Dam explains the conflict within its historical and contemporary contexts. The Dutch diplomat was Special Envoy of his government to Syria 2015-16.

Moderation Gudrun Harrer, Senior Editor, Der Standard; Lecturer on Modern History and Politics of the Middle East, University of Vienna and Diplomatic Academy of Vienna