The international rivalry in the new Middle East Phillips, Christopher (Lecturer in international relations of the Middle East) 1959- creator text ctu 2016 monographic eng xiii, 303 pages : maps ; 24 cm "Most accounts of Syria's 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 Syria's warwas, 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 protagonists--the United States, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar--have violently competed for influence, with Syria a key battleground. Drawing on a plethora of original interviews, Phillips constructs a new narrative of Syria's 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 West's strategy against ISIS. He concludes with some insights on Syria and the region's future"-- Acknowledgements List of Actors and Abbreviations Map of Syria Introduction Syria and the Middle East on the Eve of Civil War The Arab Spring Comes to Syria Assad Must Stand Aside? The International Community’s Ambivalent Response International Institutions and the Slide to War A Legitimate Representative? Supporting and Subverting Syria’s Political Opposition “Arm the Rebels!” Backing the Armed Opposition To the Hilt: Assad’s Allies Dig In No Red Lines: The Question of Western Military Intervention Descent into Chaos: Stalemate and the Rise of ISIS Enter Russia: Putin Raises the Stakes Conclusion: The War That Everyone Lost Notes Bibliography Index Christopher Phillips. Includes bibliographical references and index. a-sy--- World politics Política mundial Syria History Civil War, 2011- Siria Historia Guerra civil, 2011- 432 DS 98.6 P558b 2016 956.9104/2 9780300217179 (hardback) 030021717X (hardback) 2016022863 DLC 160523 20250821103856.0 19104292 eng