This book is about the Syrian crisis, both its internal causes and the part played by regional and global powers. At the heart of thisanalysis is a key element of Syrian society: its ingrainedinterconfessional character deriving from the historical presence onits soil of various religious faiths. Powerful minorities have,however, repeatedly applied political and military pressure to forcethe state to abandon its non-religious and non-discriminatorycharacter. The authorÆs review of scholarly texts is combined withresearch in Syria andáother countries. He has conducted interviewswith religious leaders, NGO personnel, combatants, displaced peopleand other victims. Among those interviewed is the Syrian President,Bashar al-Assad, who offers his perspective on the crisis and on thecountryÆs past and future.