Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect

By: Reese W. Erlich

Narrated by: Diane Sintich

Based on firsthand reporting from Syria and throughout the Middle East, Inside Syria unravels the complex dynamics underlying the Syrian Civil War. Through vivid, on-the-ground accounts and interviews with rebel leaders, regime supporters, and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad himself, veteran journalist Reese Erlich gives the listener a better understanding of this momentous power struggle and why it matters.

Through his many contacts inside Syria, the author reveals who is supporting Assad and why, describes the agendas of the rebel factions, and depicts in stark terms the dire plight of many ordinary Syrian people caught in the crossfire. Erlich explains how, after colonization by the British and the French and later becoming a focal point of political intrigue by numerous international powers, the region became increasingly volatile and dangerous. He also provides insights into both the past and the present roles of the Kurds, the continuing influence of Iran, and the policies of American administrations that seem interested only in protecting US regional interests, even at the expense of innocent Syrian civilians.

Disturbing, compelling, and enlightening, this timely book - now with a new epilogue with the latest information - shows not only what is happening inside Syria but why it is so important for the Middle East, the United States, and the world.

©2016 Prometheus Books (P)2019 Listen and Think Audio

Good bit of history, but some production issues

There's a lot of good information here for people who don't know much background at all about Syria. My main issue is the production quality. On my end there were many times where the narration would repeat itself randomly. Worse yet, whoever directed the narrator to try impersonations should have someone rein them in a bit haha. It's not super distracting, but definitely caught me off guard whenever it happened.

An excellent balance of history and current events

The author is a very accomplished journalist whom I have heard interviewed many times. Any person who cares about the crisis in Syria needs to know the history of the region. The author provides this for the listener, in addition to his first hand accounts and insightful analysis of recent events there. The narration was outstanding as well!