Includes bibliographical references and index.

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

"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"-- Provided by publisher.