Businessmen and Butchers. The Domestic Roots of Syria's Changing Foreign Policy.
Abstract
This Thesis addresses the question of Syria's pro-western tilt in foreign policy over the last few years. The most common argument, that the shift occurred because of the demise of the USSR (Syria's primary patron) is inaccurate. Rather, this thesis proves that changes in Syria's foreign policy began in the mid-198Os ,not in 1991, and were driven primarily by domestic economic factors, not by international structures. Syria's increasingly pro-Western foreign policy was a byproduct of economic liberalization policies begun in the early 198Os. For economic liberalization to succeed, Syria had to attract foreign,primarily Western capital. In addition, the liberalization changed Syria's class structure, expanding and promoting to positions of influence a new class of Western educated entrepreneurs. Both of these developments pushed Syria in new foreign policy directions well before the collapse of the USSR. Its behavior in the Gulf War and at the Madrid Conference was more a reflection of altered Syrian internal politics than of the recognition that the United States was the only true superpower in a changed international system. This thesis has important policy and theoretical applications. It identifies the driving forces of Syria's current foreign policy behavior, and it pushes theorists to take seriously the domestic roots of foreign policy making.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA294657
Entities
People
- Michael B. Meyer
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School