The Struggle for Power in Syria: Sectarianism, Regionalism, and Tribalism in Politics

Nickolas Van Dam’s The Struggle for Power in Syria Sectarianism, Regionalism, and Tribalism in Politics is a short but informative book on the rise of the Alawite minority in the Ba’ath Party and in the Syrian Armed Forces also known as the Troupes Speciales de Levant from the 1960s through the late 1970s. The book highlights the origins of the sectarian conflicts that blossomed as a result of French occupation of the territory after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Van Dam uses biographies, memoirs, polemical writings, Arabic press and radio broadcasts as well as an assortment of secret and unpublished Ba’ath Party documents to explain the sectarian conflict.

According to his research, French occupation had a strong role in exacerbating the sectarian sentiments and indirectly allowing the Alawi minority to seize power. When the French occupied Syria prior to independence, they employed a strategy of divide and conquer which prevented any ethnic group from obtaining a position powerful enough to endanger the French administration. This also had the unintended effect of eroding ties among Syria’s ethnic and religious groups, forging factions within each group and against each other. After independence, the idea of Arab nationalism was much stronger than any concept of a Syrian national identity, which divided these groups. The French created the Troupes Speciales de Levant, largely composed of non-sunnis and other minorities in order to maintain order and suppress rebellions, which caused resentment among the Sunni majority. Van Dam shows that in addition to causing resentment among Sunni’s, the rise of non-sunni’s to military careers during this time period would eventually lead to their seizure of political power, as the country experienced a number of military coups throughout the 60s and 70s.

The rise of the Ba’ath Party helped unify and organize the Alawi’s against the majority during this time period as well. Arab nationalism was strongly associated with Sunni Muslims, which marginalized non-Sunni’s who were seen as second-class citizens within the country. The Alawites in particular were impoverished and did not benefit from this nationalistic outlook because they were seen as non-perfect Arabs. Dam shows through his research that non-Sunni’s identified with the Ba’ath idea of nationalism because it stressed a united, secular society. When political parties were dissolved, the Alawi’s remained secretly organized and when they were made legal once again, the Ba’athists were the strongest and most organized group, another reason they were able to grab the reigns of power during the series of military coups.

I found the conclusions of this book to be largely factual as they are echoed in many other sources I have read on the country, although not nearly as in-depth as they are covered in this book. I also found it interesting how well Van Dam was able to understand the conflict considering the book was published in 1979; this book is cited in many much more recent accounts on the subject which is also how I managed to find it. While we have a much more robust perspective of the political situation today, Van Dam’s analysis of the sectarianism back then can be interpreted as a forewarning of the conflict we see today.

The book is an easy read that provides a good overview of political life during this time period. By using biographies and memoirs, he is able to get individual perspectives from Syrian’s who provide first hand accounts. While this book covers a relatively short amount of time, it is especially useful for my research as it provides a solid starting point on the origins of the sectarian conflict, which is a major aspect of my paper. It also highlights how the Alawi minority came to power, something that is a major source of resentment within the country and also a driving force behind the civil war today. However, since this book only covers events from 1961-1978, I would need many more sources in order to complete my research. Nonetheless, it is a great book to begin my research.