Syria and the USA

'Syria and the USA is a well-told and entertaining overview of US-Syria relations fromWorld War I to the formation of the United Arab Republic. Sami Moubayed provides the reader with insight into how Syrians view events that are crucial to their political development. He explains how general Syrian attitudes toward the US government changed from admiration to anger over the first half of the 20th century and explores how US support for Israeli displacement of Arabs in Palestine and military coups in Syria undermined initial attitudes toward Washington. The author's interest in the history of women and cinema in Syria gives this diplomatic history cultural depth and a welcome new dimension.' - Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies, University of Oklahoma; 'Sami Moubayed is one of Syria's leading scholars and commentators, and he is uniquely qualified to provide important insights into the history of the Middle East in the 20th century. Anyone wanting to understand how what was an amicable and respectful US - Syrian relationship early in the 20th century deteriorated by the 1950s into a confrontational one would do well to read Moubayed's book. He weaves together a scholarly yet entertaining tapestry of information that presents the all-too-often ignored Syrian perspective of its relationship with the United States. The US - Syrian relationship today is still fraught with mistrust and misunderstanding. Moubayed shows in his book that this is not a new phenomenon - it has a rich and interesting history.' - David W Lesch, Professor of Middle East History, Trinity University; 'The history of relations between Syria and the United States up until the 1960s is little known and understood. Sami Moubayed, one of Syria's leading young historians, now offers us a remarkably comprehensive study that illustrates how a positive start in diplomatic relations in the early part of the 20th century eventually began to unwind in unfortunate ways by mid-century. Using a variety of sources including the US State Department archives and the private paper collections of Syrian political leaders, Moubayed sheds new light on the political intrigue and shenanigans that were so characteristic of the Cold War era. Scholars and foreign policy experts will appreciate the author's efforts at reconstructing the history of an important chapter in America's relationship with the Middle East region.' - Philip S Khoury, Ford International Professor of History, Massachusetts Institute of Technology