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Syria Burning
- ISIS and the Death of the Arab Spring
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
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Publisher's summary
Since its commencement in the upsurge of the Arab Spring in 2011, the Syrian civil war has claimed in excess of 200,000 lives, with an estimated eight million Syrians, more than a third of the country's population, forced to flee their homes. A stalemate now exists in the country, with the government of Bashar al-Assad maintaining its grip on most of the cities in the west while large swathes of the countryside in the north and east are under the control of the Islamic fundamentalist groups ISIS and the Nusra Front.
The caliphate announced by ISIS in the summer of 2014 occupies some 35 percent of the country as well as vast territory across the border in Iraq. The nuances of this conflict have never been well understood in the West, least of all, it seems, by governments in the US and Europe, who, anticipating Assad's sudden departure, made it a condition of any negotiated settlement. The consequences of that miscalculation, Charles Glass contends in this illuminating and concise survey, have contributed greatly to the unfolding disaster that we witness today.
Glass has reported extensively from the Middle East and travelled frequently in Syria over several decades. Here he melds together reportage, analysis, and history to provide an accessible overview of the origins and permutations defining the conflict, situating it clearly in the overall crisis of the region. His voice, elegant and concise, humane and richly informed, is a vital antidote to the sloganizing that shapes so much commentary and policy concerning the civil war.
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- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Initially dismissed by US President Barack Obama, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has shocked the world by conquering massive territories in both countries and promising to create a vast new Muslim caliphate that observes the strict dictates of Sharia law. In ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, American journalist Michael Weiss and Syrian analyst Hassan Hassan explain how these violent extremists evolved from a nearly defeated Iraqi insurgent group into a jihadi army of international volunteers who have conquered territory equal to the size of Great Britain.
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Dunce Hat, Please...
- By Mel on 02-16-16
By: Michael Weiss, and others
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Anatomy of Terror
- From the Death of bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State
- By: Ali Soufan
- Narrated by: Aaron Abano
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In Anatomy of Terror, former FBI special agent and New York Times best-selling author Ali Soufan dissects bin Laden's brand of jihadi terrorism and its major offshoots, revealing how these organizations were formed, how they operate, their strengths, and - crucially - their weaknesses.
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What every human on the planet needs to know!
- By drkraver on 05-24-17
By: Ali Soufan
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Reset
- Iran, Turkey, and America's Future
- By: Stephen Kinzer
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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What can the United States do to help realize its dream of a peaceful, democratic Middle East? Stephen Kinzer offers a surprising answer in this paradigm-shifting book. Two countries in the region, he argues, are America's logical partners in the 21st century: Turkey and Iran.
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challenges stereotypes
- By R.S. on 06-14-10
By: Stephen Kinzer
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The Afghan Wars: History in an Hour
- By: Rupert Colley
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 1 hr and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Britain has invaded Afghanistan twice before in the nineteenth century. Both times tenacious Afghan fighters defended their country to humiliating British defeats. The Soviet Union also discovered what a tough enemy the Afghans are after nearly a decade of conflict from 1979 to 1989. When not fighting foreign invaders, Afghanistan was torn apart by Civil War from 1990 to 1996, resulting in victory for the Taliban.
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informative
- By mosadiq on 11-20-15
By: Rupert Colley
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The Cage
- The Fight for Sri Lanka and the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers
- By: Gordon Weiss
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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In the closing days of the 30-year Sri Lankan civil war, tens of thousands of civilians were killed, according to UN estimates, as government forces hemmed in the last remaining Tamil Tiger rebels on a tiny sand spit, dubbed "The Cage". Gordon Weiss, a journalist and UN spokesperson in Sri Lanka during the final years of the war, pulls back the curtain of government misinformation to tell the full story for the first time. Tracing the role of foreign influence as it converged with a history of radical Buddhism and ethnic conflict, The Cage is a harrowing portrait of an island paradise torn apart by war.
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Tragic and sobering
- By Tarindu on 10-28-15
By: Gordon Weiss
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The Fate of Africa
- A History of the Continent Since Independence
- By: Martin Meredith
- Narrated by: Fleet Cooper
- Length: 29 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Martin Meredith has revised this classic history to incorporate important recent developments, including the Darfur crisis in Sudan, Robert Mugabe’s continued destructive rule in Zimbabwe, controversies over Western aid and exploitation of Africa’s resources, the growing importance and influence of China, and the democratic movement roiling the North African countries of Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan.
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Africa: Land of Hope and Horror
- By Jeff on 03-08-14
By: Martin Meredith
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Descent into Chaos
- The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia
- By: Ahmed Rashid
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Rashid examines Central Asia, and the corridors of power in Washington and Europe, to see how the promised nation building in the region has progressed. His conclusions are devastating.
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Useful!
- By John Robert BEHRMAN on 02-24-09
By: Ahmed Rashid
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The Vanquished
- Why the First World War Failed to End
- By: Robert Gerwarth
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Vanquished, a highly original and gripping work of history, Robert Gerwarth asks us to think again about the true legacy of the First World War. In large part it was not the fighting on the Western Front that proved so ruinous to Europe's future but the devastating aftermath, as countries on both sides of the original conflict were savaged by revolutions, pogroms, mass expulsions, and further major military clashes.
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little-known period following WWI is illuminated
- By John on 02-16-17
By: Robert Gerwarth
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A Thousand Hills
- Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It
- By: Stephen Kinzer
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Paul Kagame grew up as a wretched refugee. He and a group of comrades, determined to force their way back home after a generation of exile, designed one of the most audacious covert operations in the history of clandestine war. Then, after taking power, they amazed the world by stabilizing and reviving their devastated country.
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Best Most Comprehensive Work on Rwanda
- By Greg on 07-30-10
By: Stephen Kinzer
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The Burning Shores
- Inside the Battle for the New Libya
- By: Frederic Wehrey
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The death of Colonel Muammar Qadhafi freed Libya from 42 years of despotic rule, raising hopes for a new era. But in the aftermath, the country descended into bitter rivalries and civil war, paving the way for the Islamic State and a catastrophic migrant crisis. In a fast-paced narrative that blends frontline reporting, analysis, and history, Frederic Wehrey tells the story of what went wrong.
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amazing yet painful book
- By Ghassan Tranesh on 09-20-18
By: Frederic Wehrey
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Israel
- A Concise History of a Nation Reborn
- By: Daniel Gordis
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Israel is a tiny state, and yet it has captured the world's attention, aroused its imagination, and, lately, been the object of its opprobrium. Why does such a small country speak to so many global concerns? More pressingly: Why does Israel make the decisions it does? And what lies in its future? We cannot answer these questions until we understand Israel's people and the questions and conflicts, the hopes and desires, that have animated their conversations and actions.
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Excellent, mildly but honestly biased, terrible narration
- By Schaq on 04-01-17
By: Daniel Gordis
What listeners say about Syria Burning
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Susan
- 12-24-16
Needed Insight into the Real Syria of Today
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Definitely. Until recently, Syria was a tolerant country richly blessed with various people groups, productivity and prosperity. Charles Glass does a great job of narrating its’ precipitous decline into chaos and ruin. There was,as usual, a cast of countries with their own self interest at heart as helpers in the decline. Russia,et. al. opened borders and provided weapons and air power to protect Assad. Most f their targets were civilians, silos and hospitals. The rebels, not coordinated or fighting for an established goal, became ISISwith assistance from the US,Saudi Arabia, Quatar,France and Britain. Hillary Clinton said that Assad must go, but never put anything in place to be helpful. Essentially, it boils down to everyone fighting everyone in a country that used to be noted for tolerance.
What did you like best about this story?
Mr. Glass used his contacts, established over many years, to form an intelligent assessment of what is really going on..essentially...a lot of dead people for no real reason.
Which scene was your favorite?
This is not a happy story. As farmers were displaced and had to move towards the cities, they continued their old way of life as much as possible. They threshed their wheat on the sidewalks and continued to live in one room as always. Now, of course, everyone but Assad and his minions are displaced.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I actually had to listen to it twice because I couldn’t really give it my full attention, the first time through when I was mainly trying to imagine what was going on in Aleppo during the evacuation of “rebels” who were usually anti-Assad, but not fighters. So,yes, this is a book where every word counts and continuity of the listening is particularly important.
Any additional comments?
I think this book helped me to understand a little better why a beautiful country is now in ruins. It began way back when the Ottomans were disestablished in the dawning of the 20th century. It is another proof where the normal people of a country are completely trampled by the interference of other countries”who are sure they know what is best.
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- Anonymous User
- 04-09-17
Fearless Reporting.
War reporting is extremely important in understanding the complexities of today's global conflicts. And the only real way to do it is to put yourself in harm's way and embed with people indirectly or even directly involved in the war. Charles Glass is one of the greats because he has always been brace enough to do just that. The stories he tells are moving. The historical context he provides is crucial. And his analysis is spot on. Nobody fully understands the Syrian Civil war, but Charles Glass is about as close as you can be.
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- Dan
- 01-02-16
The authors bias is insufferable.
This is just another case of context dropping and the ridiculous romanticization of those whom the author wishes to champion in a self congratulatory act of moral masturbation.
Skip this book unless. I'll sum it up for you. The problem is basically the west's fault and Israel is the worst. Save yourself the time and the credit.
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2 people found this helpful