The Politics of Damascus 1920-1946
This book is a historical narrative that deals with the diplomatic struggle against the French Mandate in Syria, conducted  from Damascus during the years 1920-1946. The book covers Syrian history through the careers of the politicians in Damascus who dedicated their lives, wealth, and youth for the sake of Syria’s pride, freedom, and national identity. The book starts with the final days of King Faysal’s Arab Government in Syria, analyzing the political crisis that led to the Battle of Maysaloun in 1920. The author Sami Moubayed then concentrates on the French Mandate and the establishment of a nationalist movement against colonial rule in 1928. He sheds particular light on the careers and personalities of Jamil  Mardam Bey and Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar, something that is unprecedented in English literature on Syria.

The Politics of Damascus 1920-1946 is a product of detailed and objective research in the archives of the French Mandate. What adds to this book’s particularity are the interviews conducted by the author with some of the nationalist leaders who lived the Mandate in Syria. They add an insight on history that cannot be found in any library around the world. This book is an important addition to the Arab library since it is one of the very few works that deals with Syrian history in English, from a Syrian perspective.

Tishreen newspaper (22/6/1999)
 

Damascus between democracy and dictatorship
This is apolitical review of the period between Syria's lapse into military dictatorships following independence in 1946 and the overthrow of the nascent democratic government of Shukri Al Kuwatly by Husni Al Zaim in 1949, ending with Adib Shishakli's regime and the overthrow of the Union with Egypt in 1961> Moubayed discusses the various military regimes with the authority of an insider. He believes the evolving role of the US in the politics of the region could have been better served by some accommodation with Israel. He maintains that prior to 1946 all classes of society had united as one entity, regardless of religion, wealth, social status, or political ideology, working for the common goal of driving out the French. But this unity began to fall apart when the goal was achieved. The political fragmentation that ensued was attributed to the rivalries of six political parties. The work suggest that Moubayed was prive to inside information as his critical and unorthodox approach and listing of detail that one cannot readily find in other works on Syria makes apparent. Useful features include a list of personalities, upper division undergraduates and above.

CHOICE magazine

ISBN# 0761817441 (University Press of America)

Steel & Silk: Men and Women who shaped Syria. 1900-2000
Syria has led the Arab World in many ways for the past 100 years.
It was the headquarters of the Arab nationalist movement in the 1910s and leader of women’s emancipation in the 1920s. It was among the first Arab countries to achieve independence from colonial rule in 1946, and among the region’s earliest and healthiest democracies in the 1950s.
From this point on, Syria produced an array of leading poets, writers, and painters. In the 1970s, Syria was the first Arab country to appoint women as judges, parliamentary deputies, ministers, and ambassadors.
Meet the nationalists who led the independence struggle in Syria. Meet the politicians who maneuvered its politics into becoming a central power-broker in the Middle East. Meet the poets, the painters and thinkers as well as the diplomats, journalists, and civil servants.
Meet the women and men who shaped 20th century Syria.
Includes 100 photos.

ISBN# 1885942400 (Cune Press)