Coup in Damascus

Syria and the birth of Arab military rule, 1949

By: Carl Rihan

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Hardcover | 17 June 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover
294 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.6 x 1.7

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$214.49

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Coup in Damascus examines the military takeover of Syria in 1949, an event which precipitated the rise of authoritarianism across the region.

Connecting economics, politics and history, it challenges traditional interpretations grounded in international relations by shifting the focus away from geopolitics and postcolonial studies, affirming instead the primacy of cost-calculating, utility driven political action. By bringing neoclassical and Austrian economics into contact with Middle East history, Coup in Damascus demonstrates how unsound monetary practices, the disruption of trade routes and excessive interventionism upset social and institutional equilibriums thereby leading to authoritarianism.

Coup in Damascus also highlights how lingering tensions, or spillover costs, normally resolved through economic and political exchange, congested political systems thereby triggering violence and recurrence.

Industry Reviews

CHOICE Recommended: Advanced undergraduates through faculty

'Rihan devotes much space to his neoclassical economic theoretical framework, with frequent references to suboptimal, collective decision-making and bargaining. Those who find the theory heavy going may still be interested in his detailed discussion of Syrian politics, such as relations with Lebanon, the aborted search for peace with Israel, and the negotiations over the TAPLINE pipeline bringing oil from Saudi Arabia. The bibliography shows Rihan's many years of research in primary sources in Arabic, French, and English.'
P. Clawson, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

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