Vzpomínky na Sýrii - Od arabského socialismu k Islámskému státu – Belica Miroslav (2021)

The author worked in Czechoslovak and later Czech diplomacy at embassies in three important Arab countries that were once among the country's most significant trading partners: Syria, Libya and Iraq. Under authoritarian leaders, these countries once built their own versions of Arab socialism, but black flags of the Islamic State later flew over large parts of their territories and medieval laws began to be imposed. Their transformation into centres of chaos and Islamic extremism, together with Europe's renewed exposure to waves of migrants and refugees, raises questions about the causes of such a fundamental reversal. The book argues that outside military intervention against secular regimes played a decisive role in this dramatic change. Drawing on intimate knowledge of local conditions, the author describes the events that preceded the so-called Arab Spring through the fate of Syria's diverse, multi-religious society. He observes with astonishment how protests in Syrian cities suddenly developed into a proxy war involving regional and other powers, as well as a jihad financed by Islamist networks. Memories of Syria as it was forty and twenty years ago are contrasted with the reality of the last decade, while the book also considers why Syria, sometimes called the cradle of Christian civilisation, has found itself on the brink of complete collapse.