The survival of Bashar al-Assad : geopolitics and the resilience of the Syrian Army

Alam, M.K.

Abstract

This paper examines the history and nature of the Syrian armed forces through its evolution in post-colonial era and in particular during the era of Hafez al-Assad. It analyses the history of the political events that led to the rise Hafez al-Assad and the ways in which President Assad successfully removed sectarianism from the Syrian army. It analyses some of the key figures and how they performed along a professional ethos that Assad instilled in the Syrian army. The second part of the paper will investigate the arguments relating to the resilience of the Syrian army as the only Arab army in non-stop combat mode against the Israeli forces since 1973, including during the tense period of civil war since 2012. The key battles in the Lebanese civil war are also explored and the 2003 invasion of Iraq and how Bashar al-Assad inherited a professional army with the sole purpose of guarding against external aggression from Iraq, Israel and Lebanon.

Citation

Alam, M. (2015). The survival of Bashar al-Assad : geopolitics and the resilience of the Syrian Army

• Working Paper Type: Discussion Paper
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Apr 13, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 13, 2016
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1699782
• Publisher URL: http://www.dur.ac.uk/alsabah/publications/insights/