ABSTRACT
The eastern four-fifths of Syria constitute a large, mostly semiarid and desert plain—in essence the northern extension of the Arabian Desert. The 1936 Franco-Syrian treaty reunified the country and conceded some self-government under a French governor. Syria's political instability was even more evident in the two successive coups of 1949, ending with Colonel Adib al-Shishakli taking power in December. The Ba'th Party steadily increased its share of seats in parliament and disproportionately influenced Syria's foreign policy orientation, which veered toward the Soviet Union and pan-Arab nationalism. Available data on the ethnic and sectarian complexion of Syrian society are mere estimates given the Ba'thist regime's ban on the collection of such data. Syria's selective liberalization in the 1990s had some success, buoyed by grants and investment from Arab Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. However, Bashar's intention was to "modernize authoritarianism," that is, to introduce more rule of law and limited political liberalization, but not democratization.
