The Syria Dilemma

The current conflict in Syria has killed more than 80,000 people and displaced fourmillion, yet most observers predict that the worst is still to come. And for two years, theinternational community has failed to take action. World leaders have repeatedly resolved not to letatrocities happen in plain view, but the legacy of the bloody and costly intervention in Iraq hasleft policymakers with little appetite for more military operations. So we find ourselves in thegrip of a double burden: the urge to stop the bleeding in Syria, and the fear that attempting to doso would be Iraq redux.

What should be done about the apparently intractableSyrian conflict? This book focuses on the ethical and political dilemmas at the heart of the debateabout Syria and the possibility of humanitarian intervention in today's world. Thecontributors--Syria experts, international relations theorists, human rights activists, and scholarsof humanitarian intervention--don't always agree, but together they represent the best politicalthinking on the issue. The Syria Dilemma includes original pieces from MichaelIgnatieff, Mary Kaldor, Radwan Ziadeh, Thomas Pierret, Afra Jalabi, and others.Contributors:Asli Bali, Richard Falk, Tom Farer, Charles Glass, Shadi Hamid,Nader Hashemi, Christopher Hill, Michael Ignatieff, Afra Jalabi, Rafif Jouejati, Mary Kaldor, MarcLynch, Vali Nasr, Thomas Pierret, Danny Postel, Aziz Rana, Christoph Reuter, Kenneth Roth,Anne-Marie Slaughter, Fareed Zakaria, Radwan Ziadeh, Stephen Zunes

Danny Postel is Associate Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies and is the author of Reading "Legitimation Crisis" in Tehran. He is co-editor of The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran's Future.