Syria with an abundance of military and economic
aid for its role as a confrontation state with Israel.
Syria maintained an historic enmity for the regime
of saddam hUsayn in Iraq and fostered good rela-
tions with iran after the Islamic Revolution in
- Syria participated in the U.S.-sponsored
military coalition in the First Gulf War after Iraq
invaded Kuwait in 1990. Syria has not supported
the U.S. occupation of Iraq after 2003 and its
economy has suffered from the sudden influx of
hundreds of thousands of war refugees. Syria has
been intricately involved in the long-running civil
war in Lebanon. Syrian troops were invited into
Lebanon by the government as a buffer force in
1975 and remained there until 2005. Since the
end of the Syrian military presence, one of its
main exports to Lebanon has been a cheap labor
force that has been terribly exploited.
Syria is a multisectarian, multiethnic society
that is rich in cultural diversity. It has become
a largely secular society and its people in cities
such as Damascus, Aleppo, and Latikiya are decid-
edly cosmopolitan. Syria has one of the highest
literacy rates in the Arab world. The country is
noted for its contributions to Arab cinema culture,
TV, music, Arabic literature, and publishing. The
once-thriving theater scene in Baghdad has now
moved to Damascus. Damascus and Aleppo are
important centers for artistic creativity, museums,
and galleries. Syria is wired, and Internet cafes are
cropping up everywhere. The nation has its own
distinctive cuisine renowned throughout the Arab
world, of which kibab halabi (skewered meat from
Aleppo) is only one of its most famous dishes.
Café society is lively in Damascus, Aleppo, and
elsewhere. Syria’s archaeological wonders serve as
a boon for scholars and tourists.
See also armenians; christianity and islam;
crUsades; ibn taymiyya; mUslim brotherhood;
ottoman dynasty; Umayyad caliphate.
Garay MenicucciFurther reading: Hanna Batatu, Syria’s Peasantry, the
Descendants of Its Less Rural Notables, and Their Roles
(Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1999);
James Gelvin, Divided Loyalties: Nationalism and Mass
Politics in Syria at the Close of Empire (Berkeley: Univer-
sity of California Press, 1998); Raymond Hinnebusch,
Syria: Revolution from Above (London: Routledge, 2001);
Hugh Kennedy, The Great Arab Conquests (Cambridge,
Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2007), 66–97; Tabitha Petran,
Syria (London: Ernest Benn Ltd., 1972).K 650 Syria