About this item
A groundbreaking account of the Syrian Civil War that offers never-before published details about the origins and persistence of the 21st century's worst humanitarian disasterIn spring 2011, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad turned to his friend and army commander, Manaf Tlass, for advice about how to respond to Arab Spring-inspired protests. Tlass pushed for conciliation but Assad decided to crush the uprising -an act which would catapult the country into an eight-year long war, killing almost half a million and fueling terrorism and a global refugee crisis.ASSAD OR WE BURN THE COUNTRY examines Syria's tragedy through the generational saga of the Assad and Tlass families, once deeply intertwined and now estranged in Bashar's bloody quest to preserve his father's inheritance. Drawing on exclusive interviews with Tlass, now a defector from Assad's circle, and Dagher's own firsthand experience as a reporter based in Damascus, ASSAD OR WE BURN THE COUNTRY takes readers within the palace walls to reveal the family behind the destruction of a country and the chaos of an entire region.Dagher shows how one of the world's most vicious police states came to be and explains how a regional conflict extended globally, engulfing the Middle East and pitting the United States and Russia against one another. Timely, propulsive, and expertly reported, ASSAD OR WE BURN THE COUNTRY is the definitive account of this global crisis, going far beyond the news story that has dominated headlines for years.
About the Author
A citizen of the world. I am American-Lebanese, born in West Africa, attended international schools in the United Arab Emirates & Belgium and went to college in the U.S. Worked in finance in New York and Moscow before switching to journalism in 2000. Covered some of the biggest news events and stories since 9/11 including the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, Iran's regional expansion, the Arab Spring revolutions and the war in Syria. I have worked for The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Christian Science Monitor and currently contribute to The Atlantic. I was the only non-Syrian reporter for a major Western media outlet working and living in Damascus from 2012 until 2014. I am an avid hiker and an amateur photographer! My perfect day: home with a great book and good music in the background.
