Beyond Syria's borders : a history of territorial disputes in the Middle East / Emma Jörum.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lundgren Jörum, Emma, author.

Series:

Library of modern Middle East studies. 1995- ; 155.

Library of modern Middle East studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

International relations.

Boundaries.

Syria--Boundaries.

Syria.

Political geography.

Geopolitics--Middle East.

Geopolitics.

Middle East.

Syria--Foreign relations--Israel.

Syria--Foreign relations--Lebanon.

Syria--Foreign relations--Turkey.

Turkey.

Lebanon.

Israel.

Physical Description:

xii, 214 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

London : I.B. Tauris, 2014.

Summary:

Lebanon, together with the province of Hatay in Turkey (containing Antakya) and the Golan Heights were all part of French mandate Syria, but are now all outside the boundaries of the modern Syrian state. The policies and reactions of Syria both to the loss of these territories and to the states that have either absorbed, annexed or emerged from them (Lebanon, Turkey and Israel) are the focus of Emma Jorum's book. Jorum uses the differences in policy and discourse when it comes to each of these three cases to highlight the nature of territorial dispute in the region, and the processes of state-building and nationalism more generally. Through the examination of Syria's policies concerning these lost territories, Jorum plots and analyses Syrian-Turkish, Syrian-Lebanese and Syrian-Israeli relations, explaining why some losses have been pushed to one side and others remain at the forefront in Syria's international relations and diplomacy efforts.

Contents:

The relevance of the book 2

Disposition 3

Theorising territories and borders 3

Sources 5

A note on terminology 7

Translation and transliteration 8

2 The consolidation of the territorial state and the political development of the Syrian Arab Republic 9

From Ottoman provinces to French mandate: The old world comes to an end 10

Allied administration of Geographical Syria: Frustrated hopes of Arab independence 11

The Paris Peace Conference and Arab attempts to establish 'facts on the ground' 13

The imposition of mandates, 1920 15

The territory of the Syrian Arab Republic takes shape 15

The internal consolidation of the Syrian territory 17

Striving for the independence of what? The nationalist movement and the Syrian territory 21

The Syrian post-independence territory 25

Post-independence political developments 28

Political developments in post-Independence Syria 29

Bringing a fragmented territory together: Post-independence state building 34

The beating heart of Arabism: Defining the state 39

The external consolidation of the Syrian state: International and regional relations 43

3 'We are not strangers here': Syrian policy towards Lebanon 53

The National Bloc's 'Syria first' strategy 54

Syrian policies towards Lebanon, 1947-1974: Decades of tension 57

Syrian policies towards Lebanon during the War, 1975-1990: Mediation, military intervention and the establishment of Syrian hegemony 61

Warrime indications of Syrian lack of respect for Lebanese sovereignty 67

The 1989 Taif Agreement 68

Syrian policies towards post-war Lebanon, 1991-2005: Securing continued Syrian control 69

Bashar al-Asad takes over 72

Syrian withdrawal: When? 74

Syrian policies towards Lebanon, 2005-2010: The fall and rise of Syrian influence 77

Syrian-Lebanese relations in the post-withdrawal period 81

Questions regarding the Syrian-Lebanese border 82

Syrian rhetoric on the post-withdrawal period 84

Conclusions: Syrian policies towards Lebanon: Irredentism or something else? 85

4 From forgotten to stolen territory: Syrian policies towards Hatay 89

From possible partition to Turkish annexation 91

Syrian reactions to the loss of Alexandretta 93

Early independence: Syrian policies, 1946-1969 93

Syrian policies towards Hatay, 1970-1998 96

The 1998 turning point in Syrian-Turkish relations 98

Bashar al-Asad takes over: No claims, no recognition continues 100

Syrian maps after 2003 105

The Syrian uprising: Hatay resurfaces 106

Conclusions: Syrian policies towards Hatay 110

5 The Golan Heights: From the Arab to the Syrian Cause 113

Syrian policy towards the Golan Heights, 1967-1990 115

Negotiations with Israel, 1991-2000 118

Bashar al-Asacl rakes over 127

Work on the ground: Beyond war and negotiations 129

Acrivities across the disengagement line 131

Conclusions: Syrian policies towards the Golan Heights 134

6 Conclusions 137

Possible explanations for differences in Syrian policies towards Lebanon, Hatay and the Golan Heights 141

Prospects for the future? 148.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [173]-204) and index.

ISBN:

9781780767420

1780767420

OCLC:

899134557