ABSTRACT
Syria is a good example of a modern Arab authoritarian government for two main reasons. First, it is the quintessential presidential Arab republic, formerly based on radical-nationalism but since the 1970s increasingly institutionalized and status quo oriented. The entire system of politics is set up so that ultimate power flows upward to the president. In addition, though radical-nationalism as an organizing principle has long since declined, Syria retains lingering elements of its former radical domestic and, particularly, foreign policies. For example, although all of the other former radical states, including Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, and Iraq, have drawn closer to the United States and adopted a less rejectionist role in regional politics, Syria continues to support rejectionism (in particular of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process). It has also aligned itself with the region’s two rising radical powers, Hezbollah and Iran, by providing material support (weapons, economic aid, territory for transit) to the former and acting on behalf of the latter’s interests in regional disputes.
