Al-Shami Leila - Burning country: Syrians in revolution and war

From reviews of the first edition

Extraordinary ... the book on Syria I was waiting for Molly Crabapple, artist, author, journalist

Gripping ... Cutting through the fog of geopolitics, [Burning Country] refocuses the conflict with the people at its centre Brian Whitaker, Newsweek

A detailed history of Syrias moderate opposition and a meticulous analysis of the origins of todays violent dynamics New Statesman

Explores how Syrias peaceful uprising gave way to armed insurgency and sectarian jihad ... This is an important, honest and insightful book, well worth anyones time Marc Lynch, Washington Post

Avoids the easy indulgence of indignation; instead, it elicits the voices of many different Syrians involved in the uprising, acknowledging their suffering as well as their courage, intelligence, and humanity, while explaining the terrible choices that have been forced on them Ursula Lindsey, The Nation

The most succinct and convincing insiders narrative of the uprising Richard Spencer, Daily Telegraph

Vital Peter Geoghegan, The Herald

Full of fascinating details Robyn Cresswell, New York Review of Books

For decades Syrians have been forbidden from telling their own stories and the story of their country, but here Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila al-Shami tell the Syrian story Yassin al-Haj Saleh, Syrian writer, intellectual and former political prisoner

By far the best account of the Syrian uprising yet Dr Yasser Munif, Professor of Sociology at Emerson College, co-founder of the Global Campaign of Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution

Unique in its combination of first-hand material derived from fieldwork, factual and analytical rigour, and unshakable faith in the Syrian peoples struggle for justice and dignity Thomas Pierret, Lecturer in Contemporary Islam, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh, and Director of the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW)

A compelling counter-narrative, rich with the voices of the Syrian people In These Times

Anyone who doubts the popular nature of the Syrian Revolution should read this stirring account Ashley Smith, SocialistWorker.org

A timely and searing account of Syrias recent history and the people who shaped it Ceasefire

Read this book to better understand the Syrian revolution, the people who made it, and the war from which so many have fled Socialist Review

Should be read by as many people as possible Counterpunch

A definitive peoples history of the uprising Dissent

This is the best book yet interpreting the tragedies that have befallen Syria ... Highly recommended CHOICE

One of the best books that have been written about the Syrian revolution turned civil war Book Riot

Outstanding Marxist Left Review

Burning Country

Syrians in Revolution and War

NEW EDITION

Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami

First published 2016 by Pluto Press
345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA

New edition first published 2018

www.plutobooks.com

Copyright Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami 2016, 2018

The right of Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 0 7453 3784 5 Hardback
ISBN 978 0 7453 3782 1 Paperback
ISBN 978 1 7868 0278 1 PDF eBook
ISBN 978 1 7868 0280 4 Kindle eBook
ISBN 978 1 7868 0279 8 EPUB eBook

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental standards of the country of origin.

Typeset by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England

Simultaneously printed in the United Kingdom and United States of America

We would like to thank all those, named or anonymous, who shared their stories with us.

For various kinds of logistical help, we thank Razan Ghazzawi, Lina Sergie (Amal Hanano), Yassin al-Haj Saleh, AbdulRahman Jalloud, Wassim al-Adel and Olmo.

For their reading and comments on sections of the text, we thank Hassan Hassan, Thomas Pierret, Yasser Munif, Rime Allaf and particularly Muhammad Idrees Ahmad. Our friend and trusty IT expert Al MacPhee of macpheeit.co.uk made the maps. We thank everybody at Pluto Press, most of all our editor David Shulman, who initiated this project as an act of solidarity with the Syrian revolution. His support throughout the process of researching and writing the book has been invaluable.

And we thank Danny Postel, who organised a vast North American speaking tour for us, and hosted us in Denver, from the goodness of his heart.

Bristol, June 2014. A compact old lady in red hair and a flowery dress is attending an evening of Syrian texts. As a description of Damascus is read out, she preserves her bright smile but begins nevertheless, quietly, to weep. Afterwards she comes up to talk. Shes a Damascene herself, she says. Ive lived in England for over thirty years, and I didnt realise until the revolution that I had a fear barrier inside. Then I noticed Id never talked about Syria. Id tried not to even think about it. But those brave youths gave me courage; they gave me back my identity, and my freedom.