Ghaidaa Hetou - The Syrian Conflict: The Role of Russia, Iran and the US in a Global Crisis

This book explores the global impact of the Syrian conflict, and the roles of Russia, Iran and the US in its wake. It looks closely at origins of political turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by analysing the growing influence of Russia and Iran militarily, economically and diplomatically juxtaposed against US defense and national interests.

The book:

Drawing on detailed fieldwork and archival material, including National Security Archival documents, this book is a tour de force in understanding global politics and contemporary history. It will be indispensable to scholars and researchers of politics and international relations, political theory, foreign policy, Middle East studies, and peace and conflict studies.

Ghaidaa Hetou is an academic and researcher focusing on Middle East and North Africas (MENA) security, foreign policy and political economy. She writes on MENA states grand strategies, middle powers, geopolitics and political risk analysis. She is an adjunct professor at Rutgers Universitys United Nations and Global Policy Studies Masters Program. Dr. Hetou is also the founder of iStrategic LLC, a political risk analysis firm based in New Jersey, USA.

Ghaidaa Hetou

First published 2019
by Routledge
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2019 Ghaidaa Hetou

The right of Ghaidaa Hetou to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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ISBN: 978-1-138-50193-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-34914-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-43642-0 (ebk)

Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC

I have been fascinated by Syrias alliances with Iran, Russia and Hezbollah since the beginning of my graduate career. The persistence of this alliance formation ended up being the topic of my dissertation. I had the good fortune of spending an extended amount of time in Syria in 2010 and early 2011 for my dissertation field research, and between interviews with Syrian officials, academics and private citizens, I was able to better understand Syrian perceptions of world affairs, their understanding of Syrias role in the region and their national character. This experience certainly enriched my research on Syrias foreign policy, and the role of Syrias allies and their interest in the region; to this end, Im very grateful to the many Syrians I had the good fortune to meet during my research journeys. Delving into the US National Security archives, and archival documents at the Library of Congress and Lyndon Johnson Library, I was able to acquaint myself with the authentic sentiments of US officials at the time, and their perceptions of the threats and opportunities the United States faced after WWII. Iran and Russia have been key to Syrias regional role since 1979, and key to its survival post-2011. It was eye opening to trace how Iranian and Russian officials were historically motivated by their national interests and employed a rational calculus of threat and opportunity in their strategic and purposeful foreign policies in the MENA region. This book takes the reader on a journey to arrive at a renewed understanding in international relations, an understanding that validates national interests and the strategic intent of states who stand in opposition to US interests, not for the sake of appeasing them but certainly to arrive at a more realistic US policy in the Middle East.

Im very thankful to Dr. Norman Samuels, Dr. Eric Davis, Dr. Simon Reich, Retired Major Jason C. Howk, Dr. Vahid Yucesoy, Dr. Nathanael Andrade, Evan Gottesman and Oluwakemi Alawode for their assistance, encouragement, helpful comments and much appreciated care. A special note of love to my family and to Hamza and Yasmin Mourad. Im also grateful for the professionalism and diligence of my editors at Routledge.

Ghaidaa Hetou
March 2018