{"product_id":"the-battle-for-syria-international-rivalry-in-the-new-middle-east-9780300234619","title":"The Battle for Syria: International Rivalry in the New Middle East","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn unprecedented analysis of the crucial but underexplored roles the United States and other nations have played in shaping Syrias ongoing civil war  Most accounts of Syrias brutal  long-lasting civil war focus on a domestic contest that began in 2011 and only later drew foreign nations into the escalating violence. Christopher Phillips argues instead that the international dimension was never secondary but that Syrias war was  from the very start  profoundly influenced by regional factors  particularly the vacuum created by a perceived decline of U.S. power in the Middle East. This precipitated a new regional order in which six external protagoniststhe United States  Russia  Iran  Saudi Arabia  Turkey  and Qatarhave violently competed for influence  with Syria a key battleground.  Drawing on a plethora of original interviews  Phillips constructs a new narrative of Syrias war. Without absolving the brutal Bashar al-Assad regime  the author untangles the key external factors which explain the acceleration and endurance of the conflict  including the Wests strategy against ISIS. He concludes with some insights on Syria and the regions future.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45275201339445,"sku":"ByrdShop_0300234619","price":90.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780300234619.jpg?v=1780502847","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-battle-for-syria-international-rivalry-in-the-new-middle-east-9780300234619","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}