About this item
Based on first-hand reporting from Syria and Washington, journalist Reese Erlich unravels the complex dynamics underlying the Syrian civil war. Through vivid, on-the-ground accounts and interviews with both rebel leaders and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Erlich gives the reader a better understanding of this momentous power struggle and why it matters.Through his many contacts inside Syria, the author reveals who is supporting Assad and why; he describes the agendas of the rebel factions; and he depicts in stark terms the dire plight of many ordinary Syrian people caught in the cross-fire. The book also provides insights into the role of the Kurds, the continuing influence of Iran, and the policies of American leaders who seem interested only in protecting US regional interests.
About the Author
Most of these online biographies are deadly boring recitations of all the media where the author had appeared, followed by some self-serving mention of awards received. This bio is no exception. I stumbled into the wonderful world of journalism without premeditation. I had been attending the University of California at Berkeley in 1967 when I was suspended for organizing anti-Vietnam War demonstrations. I found part-time work as a late-night typist at Ramparts, then the country's premiere investigative reporting magazine. The editors promoted me to reporter so I could learn journalism the old fashioned way -- by making lots of mistakes and getting yelled at. Eventually I learned how to write journalistically. By 1986 I had been freelancing for the Christian Science Monitor newspaper, which had recently formed a radio network. The very patient producers at Monitor Radio trained me as a radio reporter. I later learned television journalism the same way, by on-the-job training. Despite never having taken a class in journalism--and a vow by administrators at UC Berkeley never to allow me back on campus--I eventually taught journalism for a total of 10 years at UC Berkeley Extension, San Francisco State University, and California State University, Hayward (now Cal State University East Bay) . These days I work full time as a freelance print and broadcast journalist, and book author.Boring Stuff As promised, here comes the typical, boring bio information. Notice how everything is cleverly written in the third person in order to make the author look more important. Erlich is the author of five books on foreign affairs:Inside Syria: The Back Story of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect (Foreword by Noam Chomsky) , paperback, September 2016. Conversations with Terrorists: Middle East Leaders on Politics, Violence and Empire, September 2010. Dateline Havana: The Real Story of US Policy and the Future of Cuba, January 2009.The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of US Policy and the Middle East Crisis, September 2007.Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn't Tell You, co-authored with Norman Solomon, became a best seller in 2003.Journalism Reese Erlich reports for National Public Radio, Latino USA, and Radio Deutche Welle. (Don't forget that he also writes for Foreign Policy, VICE News, and The Progressive.) His Jazz Perspectives series airs on public radio stations in the United States and online at www.jazzcorner.com/innerviews. He writes an arts and culture column for the East Bay Monthly. Awards Erlich shared a prestigious Peabody Award in 2006 as a segment producer for Crossing East, a radio documentary on the history of Asians in the US. In 2004 Erlich's radio special "Children of War: Fighting, Dying, Surviving," won a Clarion Award presented by the Alliance for Women in Communication and second and third place from the National Headlines Awards. His article about the U.S. use of depleted uranium ammunition was voted the e
