ABSTRACT
The modern country of Syria dates back to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1919. Faisal Hussein captured Damascus near the end of World War I and declared himself the king of Syria and Lebanon. France granted Syria formal independence in 1941, and Shukri al-Quwwatli assumed the presidency two years later. But the real power fell to Jamil Mardam Bey, a Syrian nationalist who became Syria's premier and defense minister in 1947. Hafiz Asad created the National Progressive Front in 1972, bringing in the remnants of the Syrian Communist Party, the Syrian Arab Socialist Union. Asad also reached beyond the political party structure to expand his influence, advancing both Sunni Muslim and Christian officers to high positions in the military. Syria is officially a sectarian state under Ba'athist rule that minimizes the role of religion in politics. Consequently, there is no official pressure on women to abide by a conservative Islamist interpretation of their societal role.
