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Syria Divided

Patterns of Violence in a Complex Civil War
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Syria Divided delves into the intricacies of the Syrian civil war, a conflict marked by over 600,000 deaths and the displacement of half the population since 2011. Ora Szekely explores the diverse combatants and their conflicting narrativesβ€”including fights for dignity and democracy, sectarian strife, anti-terrorism efforts, and foreign interference. Drawing on interviews, conflict data, and social media propaganda, Szekely examines how these narratives influence violence and the performance of warfare in the digital age.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in Middle East politics, civil wars, international relations, and the role of social media in contemporary conflict. Scholars, students, and informed general readers seeking to understand the complexities of the Syrian civil war will find this work invaluable.

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Ora Szekely draws on sources including in-depth interviews, conflict data, and propaganda distributed through social media to examine how competing narratives of the civil war in Syria have shaped the course of the conflict.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The civil war in Syria, which has claimed more than 600,000 lives and displaced over half of the country's population since 2011, is an enormously complex conflict. The combatants include a wide array of state and nonstate forces, both Syrian and international. Adding to the war's complexity, its many participants understand and explain the war in a range of different ways. For some, it is a fight for dignity and democracy; for others, a sectarian or communal conflict; still others see it as a fight against terrorism or a consequence of foreign interference.

Syria Divided by Ora Szekely draws on sources including in-depth interviews, conflict data, and propaganda distributed through social media to examine how these competing narratives have shaped the course of the conflict. Mapping out the broad patterns of violence among combatants and against civilians, Szekely argues that the competition to control the narrative in the eyes of important audiences at home and abroad has not only influenced the choices of participants, it has alsoβ€”shaped in part by the use of social mediaβ€”led many to treat warfare as a kind of performance.

An insightful analysis of the forces fueling a brutal civil war, Syria Divided offers new perspectives on the performative aspects of violence, the weaponization of social media, and key features of twenty-first-century warfare.

Series: Columbia Studies in Middle East Politics

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  • Syria Divided
    The civil war in Syria, which has claimed more than 600,000 lives and displaced over half of the country's population since 2011, is an enormously complex conflict. The combatants include a wide array of state and nonstate forces, both Syrian and international. Adding to the war's complexity, its many participants understand and explain the war in a range of different...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its nuanced and insightful analysis, the book sheds light on the importance of competing narratives in shaping the conflict's conduct and course. Steven Heydemann calls it a compelling contribution that unravels how violence is organised through story battles. Raymond Hinnebusch highlights how these narratives affected recruitment, financing, and foreign intervention, emphasising the book's combination of analytical insight and rich empirical data.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780231205399

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 August 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Columbia University Press

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 296

About the Author

Ora Szekely is associate professor of political science at Clark University. She is the author of The Politics of Militant Group Survival in the Middle East: Resources, Relationships, and Resistance (2017), coauthor of Insurgent Women: Female Combatants in Civil Wars (2019), and coeditor of Stories from the Field: A Guide to Navigating Fieldwork in Political Science (Columbia, 2020).

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