Syria Betrayed
Atrocities, War, and the Failure of International Diplomacy
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Columbia University Press
Published:6th Sep '22
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The suffering of Syrian civilians, caught between the government’s barrel bombs and chemical weapons and religious fanatics’ beheadings and mass killings, shocked the world. Yet despite international law and political commitments proclaiming a responsibility to protect civilians from mass atrocities, world actors stood aside as Syria burned. Again and again, neighboring states, global powers, and the United Nations opted for half-measures or made counterproductive choices that caused even more harm.
Alex J. Bellamy provides a forensic account of the world’s failure to protect Syrian civilians from mass atrocities. Drawing on interviews with key players, documents from the United Nations and other international organizations, and sources from the Middle East and beyond, he traces the missteps of the international response to Syria’s civil war. Bellamy systematically examines the various peace processes and the reasons they failed, highlighting potential alternative paths. He details how and why key actors prioritized their own national interest, geopolitical standing, regional stability, local rivalries, counterterrorism goals, or domestic politics rather than the welfare of Syrians. Some governments settled on unrealistic strategies founded on misguided assumptions while others pursued naked ambition; the United Nations descended into irrelevance and even complicity. Shedding new light on the decisions that led to a vast calamity, Syria Betrayed also draws out lessons for more effective responses to future civil conflicts.
In this masterful work, Alex J. Bellamy guides us expertly through the bewildering array of forces and factions in Syria’s civil war. He explains how domestic, regional, and international players made matters worse while jockeying to advance their own interests. Finally, he helps us understand how Syrians themselves were abused, abandoned, and ultimately betrayed. -- Allan Rock, president emeritus of the University of Ottawa and former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations
Alex J. Bellamy, champion of the concept of the “responsibility to protect,” takes a hard look at why powerful actors did not protect hundreds of thousands of Syrians who perished during the civil war. His sober conclusion: the war was so deadly because some actors were unwilling to compromise and would do anything to win, and because of the ‘core fact’ that the fate of Syria’s people was no one’s consistent priority. Detailed, well-written, and thoroughly referenced case studies of key events and actors make Syria Betrayed essential reading for everyone who is interested in the Syrian civil war and its implications for the future. -- Taylor B. Seybolt, author of Humanitarian Military Intervention: The Conditions for Success and Failure
This book is a sweeping, descriptive account of a case that even today is still active and ongoing. Bellamy provides a well-written narrative portrayal of the complexities of politics at multiple levels and the impact of global powers’ failures on the lives of civilians. -- Melissa Labonte, author of Human Rights and Humanitarian Norms, Strategic Framing, and Intervention: Lessons for the Responsibility to Protect
The book provides humbling, crushing, and essential reading. * International Affairs *
Highly relevant for peace scholars, activists, and professionals. * International Peacekeeping *
Does a valuable job of assembling and analysing the international community’s failures over a decade of egregious violence and violations of international law. * Times Literary Supplement *
ISBN: 9780231192965
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
472 pages