Post-Colonial Syria and Lebanon: The Decline of Arab Nationalism and the Triumph of the State (Library of Modern Middle East Studies)

The complex relationship between Syria and Lebanon is the political fulcrum of the Middle East, and has dominated headlines since the withdrawal of French colonial forces from the Levant in 1943. One of the great paradoxes of this relationship is how two such very different political systems emerged in what many Syrian and Lebanese people see as one society. At the time of independence, it was assumed that only the divide-and-rule strategies of foreign powers kept the Arab peoples artificially separated. In this major new book, Youssef Chaitani examines how, despite the prevalence of Arab nationalism and the regression of imperial interference, Syria and Lebanon became more divided, rather than more integrated in the post-independence period. Drawing on untapped sources from the archives of Western foreign offices and the local press, Chaitani uncovers the strategies and motivations of both countries' elites during this period, and produces conclusions which have major implications for our understanding of Arab nationalism, as well as the complexities of the Syrian-Lebanese relationship. "The complex relationship between Syria and Lebanon is the political fulcrum of the Middle East, and has dominated headlines since the withdrawal of French colonial forces from the Levant in 1943. One of the great paradoxes of this relationship is how two such very different political systems emerged in what many Syrian and Lebanese people see as one society. At the time of independence, it was assumed that only the divide-and-rule strategies of foreign powers kept the Arab peoples artificially separated. In this major new book, Youssef Chaitani examines how, despite the prevalence of Arab nationalism and the regression of imperial interference, Syria and Lebanon became more divided, rather than more integrated in the post-independence period. Drawing on untapped sources from the archives of Western foreign offices and the local press, Chaitani uncovers the strategies and motivations of both countries' elites during this period, and produces conclusions which have major implications for our understanding of Arab nationalism, as well as the complexities of the Syrian-Lebanese relationship."--Bloomsbury Publishing "Youssef Chaitani examines how despite the prevalence of Arab nationalism and the regression of imperial interference in the post-independence period, Syria and Lebanon became more divided, rather than more integrated. This process culminated in 1950, ending three decades of close economic co-operation between the two countries." "Drawing on previously untapped sources from the archives of Western foreign offices and the local Arab press, Chaitani uncovers the strategies and motivations of both countries' ruling elites during this period. He demonstrates that Lebanese views on the relationship with Syria was not just the product of the Christian population's de-Arabisation agenda, but also a reflection of wider frustration at Syria's tendency to manipulate the supply of commodities - particularly grain - for political leverage. Chaitani draws out the tensions between interdependence and dependency which have characterised Syrian-Lebanese relations to this day."--Jacket Examines how, despite the prevalence of Arab nationalism and the regression of imperial interference, Syria and Lebanon became more divided, rather than more integrated in the post-independence period. This book also uncovers the strategies and motivations of both countries' elites during this period