Edinburgh University Press Paperback English
State Atrophy in Syria
War, Society and Institutional Change
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How do governments contribute to galvanizing public hostility against state institutions? And what are the consequences of undermining the state as a strategy for political change? State Atrophy in Syria highlights how the appropriation of state institutions by public officials limits public capacity to demand accountability from government without having to challenge the state or its institutions. This creates consequential trade-offs for the public. As the Syrian case demonstrates, the undermining of state institutions failed to depose the dictatorship, continuously benefitted Assads foreign allies, Russia and Iran, and engendered unprecedented levels of predatory practices against the public. As Syria continues to play a strategic role on the worlds political stage, the book outlines the countrys tragic decade and derives lessons for state-society relations in Syria and beyond.
How do governments contribute to galvanizing public hostility against state institutions? And what are the consequences of undermining the state as a strategy for political change?
State Atrophy in Syria highlights how the appropriation of state institutions by public officials limits public capacity to demand accountability from government without having to challenge the state or its institutions. This creates consequential trade-offs for the public. As the Syrian case demonstrates, the undermining of state institutions failed to depose the dictatorship, continuously benefitted Assads foreign allies, Russia and Iran, and engendered unprecedented levels of predatory practices against the public.
As Syria continues to play a strategic role on the worlds political stage, the book outlines the countrys tragic decade and derives lessons for state-society relations in Syria and beyond.