Prof. Eyal Zisser is the Vice Rector of Tel Aviv University and the holder of The Yona and Dina Ettinger Chair in Contemporary History of the Middle East. He was the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities 2010-2015, the Director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies 2007-2010 and the Head of the Department of Middle Eastern and African History. Prof. Zisser wrote extensively on the history and the modern politics of Syria and Lebanon and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Among his books:  Assad’s Syria at a Crossroads (Tel Aviv, 1999); Asad’s Legacy – Syria in Transition (New York, 2000); Lebanon: the Challenge of Independence (London, 2000); Faces of Syria (Tel Aviv, 2003) Commanding Syria, Bashsar al-Asad’s First years in Power (London, 2006); The Bleeding Cedar (Tel Aviv, 2009), Syria :Protest, Revolution, Civil War (Tel Aviv, 2014).

 

Prof. Zisser received his PhD from Tel Aviv University. He was a visiting professor in Cornell University and a visiting research fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Education

1982-1985 - Tel Aviv University Middle Eastern History and BA 1985 Arabic Language and Literature (Summa cum laude)

1985-1988 - Tel Aviv University Middle Eastern History MA 1988 (Magna cum laude)

Master’s Thesis: “The Arab-Israeli Struggle Over the Jordan Waters and the Inter-Arab System.”

1989-1992 - Tel Aviv University Middle Eastern History PHD 1992

Doctoral Dissertation: The Challenge of Independence: Lebanon under Bishara al-Khuri, 1943-1952.

 

Professional Experience

1992, Tel Aviv University The Moshe Dayan Center for Research Fellow Middle Eastern and African Studies

1993, Tel Aviv University Middle Eastern and African History, lecturer

1995-1996, Cornell University Near Eastern Studies, Visiting Assistant Professor

1996-1997, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Visiting Research Fellow

1998, Tel Aviv University, Middle Eastern and African History, Senior Lecturer

2002,Tel Aviv University, Middle Eastern and African History,  Associate Professor        

2006,  Tel Aviv University, Middle Eastern and African History, Full Professor

2004-2008, Chair, Department of Middle Eastern and African History , Tel Aviv University 

2007- 2010, Director, the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, Tel Aviv University

2010-  2015, Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Tel Aviv University

 

Editorial Board of Journals 

2009 -, Bustan, The Middle East Book Review 

 

Membership in Scientific Associations

The Middle East Studies Association (MESA)

Syrian Studies Association

Association for Israel Studies

The Middle East and Islamic studies association of Israel (Meisai)

The Israeli Historical association

 

Active Participation in Scientific Meetings

1. "Syria and the Peace Process One Year after Madrid.” Paper presented at the conference on “Peacemaking One Year after Madrid: The Politics and Concepts of Negotiations,” organized by the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Studies, Tel Aviv University, November 1992.

2. “Syria and Israel: The Road to Peace.” Paper presented at the conference on “Cooperation and Security in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Balkans,” organized by the Hellenic Foundation for Defense and Foreign Policy at Halki, Greece, 29 August-1 September 1993.

3. “Asad’s Syria and the Peace Process.“ Paper  presented at the annual  conference of the Israel Oriental Society,  Tel Aviv University, 1 May 1994. 

4. “Syria: The Ba`th Regime and the Islamic Movement - Stepping on a New Path.” Paper presented at the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Conference, at Providence, Rhode Island, 21-24 November 1996.

5. “Syria: The Renewed Struggle for Power.” Paper presented at the conference on “Modern Syria: Social and Political Issues,” organized by the Jewish-Arab Center, Haifa University, 17-18 December  1996.

6. “The Six Day War - The Syrian Front.” Paper presented at the conference on “30 Years to the Six Day War,” organized by the Center for Security and social Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 4-5 May 1997.

7. “The Alawis of Syria - From Ethnic Minority to a Ruling Sect.” Paper  presented at the Annual Conference of the Israeli Historical Studies Association Conference, at Jerusalem,  21 June 1997.

8. “Threat Perceptions and Inclinations to Peace: Middle East Cases - Syria and Lebanon.”  Paper presented at a workshop on Europe and the Middle East - New Tracks to Peace,” organized  by the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University, 14-15 September 1997.

9. “The Syrian Regime and the Peace Process - The Domestic Front.”  Paper presented at the conference on “The  Middle East at the Crossroads,” organized by the Jewish-Arab Center, Haifa University, 10-12 November 1997.

10. “Syria - The Elections to the People’s Assembly (August 1994) - Excising Democracy?” Paper presented at the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Conference, at San Francisco, 21-24 November 1997.

11. “The Syrian  Ba`th Regime and the Islamic Movement.” Paper presented at the annual conference of the Israel Oriental Society, at Bar-Ilan University, 3 June 1998.

12. ”Israel and Syria: Where is the Peace Process Headed?,” Paper presented at the AIS (Association for Israel Studies) Annual Conference, at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 14-16 June 1998.

13. "The Arab-Israeli Peace Process - Challenges and Prospects,” Paper presented at the KAMES Korean Association of Middle East Studies) 7^th International  Symposium, at Seoul, Korea, 15 - 17 October 1998.

14. Syria’s Roads to the October War.” Paper presented at a conference on “The Yom Kipur War - 25 Years After.,” organized by the Hertzel Institute for Zionist Studies, Haifa University,  4-5 November 1998.

15. “Remembering the past, looking to the future: Syrian - Turkish Relations and their Place in Political discourse and in the formation of Historical Memory in Syria.” Paper presented at the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America)  Conference at Chicago, Illinois, 4-7 December 1998.

16. “Lebanon - Religious Sects, Diasporas and Political Stability.” Paper presented at the International Conference on “Middle Eastern Minorities and Diasporas,” organized by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University and the Begin-Sadat  Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University, in 13-14 December 1998.

17. “The Middle East Approaches Year 2000.” Paper presented at the Israel-Japan Intellectual Exchange Program, organized by the Japan center for International Exchange (JCIE), Tokyo, 16-23 October 1999.

18. “Syria - Society and State in Transition - the Question of Succession and “The Next Generation.” Paper presented at the international conference on “At the turn of the Century: Transition in Middle East Societies,” organized by the Chaim Herzog Center for Middle East studies and Diplomacy, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 7-8 December 1999.

19. “Israel and Syria - on the Road to peace.” Paper presented at the international conference on “The Peace Process in the middle East,” organized by the Jewish-Arab Center, Haifa university and the University of Oklahoma, at Haifa university, 13-15 March 2000.

20      “Emerging Historical Debate – The Origins of the Six-Day War – The Case of the Syrian Front.” Paper presented at the annual conference of the Israel Oriental Society, at Tel Aviv University, 24 May 2000.

21.      “Syrian-Israeli Peace Negotiations- the Barak Era.” Paper presented at the AIS (Association for Israel Studies) Annual Conference at Tel Aviv University, 25-27 June 2000.

22.      “The Syrian Army: Between the Domestic and External Fronts.” Paper presented at the international conference on  “Armed Forces in the Middle East: Politics and strategy,” organized by the School of Advanced International Studies, John Hopkins university and the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University, Bar-Ilan University, 15-16 November 2000.

23.      “Israeli-Syrian Relations – the Barak Era.”  Paper presented at the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Conference at Orlando, Florida, 17-19 November 2000

24.      ”The Israeli-Syrian-Turkish Triangle – Between Confrontation and cooperation.” Paper presented at the conference on “Ottoman Beer Sheva Centenary,” organized by the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 10-11 December 2000.

25.      “The Mediterranean Idea in Syria and Lebanon: Between Territorial Nationalism and Pan-Arabism.”  Paper presented at the international conference on “The Mediterranean Idea,” organized by the Center for Mediterranean Civilizations Project at Tel Aviv university and Mishkenot Sha’ananim, 27-31 January 2001.

26.      “The image of France in Syria – From Enemy to Ally.” Paper presented at a conference on “France in the Middle East: Past, Present and Future,” organized by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 29-30 April 2001.

27.      “Israel and the Arab World after the al-Aqsa Intifada.”  Paper presented at the AIS (Association for Israel Studies) Annual Conference at the American University, Washington, 15-17 May 2001.

28.      “Israel and the Arab world from in the wake of the al-Aqsa Intifada,” Paper presented at the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Conference at San Francisco, California, 13-15 November 2001. 

29. “The Arab World and the Palestinian Question.” AIS (Association for Israel Studies) Annual Conference at the University of Denver, Colorado, 23-25 May 2002      

30. “The Arab-Israeli Peace process- What Went Wrong?”  First World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Mainz. 8-13 Sept. 2002        

31. “Arab-Israeli Relations – from War to Peace?” MESA (Middle Eastern Studies Association of North America) Annual  Conference at Washington D.C. 24-26 Nov. 2002     

32. “Back to Islam – the Syrian Case.” International Colloquium on “Middle Eastern Societies and the West:  Accommodation or Clash of civilizations?, organized by the Moshe Dayan Center for  Middle Eastern Studies, Tel Aviv University,   6-17 Dec. 2002 

33. "Britain, France and the Levant, 1941-45," paper submitted in  the International Conference on "Britain and the Middle East," organized by the Harry S, Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 20-22 June 2004

34. "Israel and the Arab World – A Year after the War in Iraq," paper submitted in the 20^th AIS (Association pf Israel Studies) conference, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 14-16 June 2004.

35. "The Arab-Israeli Conflict – A Year after the War in Iraq," paper submitted in the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference, San Francisco, 21-24 November 2004.

36. "Middle eastern Political Trends," pa[per submitted in that international conference on in Israel's Strategic Agenda organized by the Begin-Sadat Center for Startegic Studies, bar Ilan University, 4-5 July 2005.

37. "Writing a Constitution – Constitutional Debates In Syria and Lebanon in the Mandate Period," paper submitted at the international conference on "The Roots of Liberal Thoughts in the Eastern Mediterranean" organized by the Politik und Zeitgeschichte Des Modernen Nahen Ostens Friedrich-Alexander –Universitat, Erlangen, Germany 30 July – 4 August 2005.

38. "The Arab World and the Arab-Israeli Conflict," paper submitted in the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference, Washington D. C. 19-22 November 2005.

39. "Israel, Syria and Lebanon." Paper submitted at the International Conference on "Israeli-Arab Relations: From Conflict to Resolution," organized by the The Harry S. Truman  Research Center for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 16-17 March 2006.

40. "Hizbullah – Between Islam and Lebanon," paper submitted at the International conference on "Political Islam in the Middle East and Beyond," organized by the The Chiam Herzog Center for Middle Eastern Studies and Diplomacy, ben Gurion University of the Negev, 29-30 March 2006.

41. "Syria – Regime and State." Paper submitted at the International Conference on "The Middle East in the XXI Century: Realities and Challenges." Organized by the Institute of International Relations of Kiev National Taras Shevchenko University, 10-11 April 2006.

42. "The Arab State and Radical Islam" paper submitted at the International Conference on "Radical Islam: Challenge and Response," organized by the The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar Ilan University, 24-25 May 2006.

43. "The Arab World in the wake of Israel's War in Lebanon." Paper submitted at the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference, Boston, 18-21 November 2006.

44. "The Arab World following the War in Lebanon." Paper submitted at a conference on "The Second Lebanon War and its Aftermath," the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar Ilan University, 13-14 November 2006.

45. "The Suez Campaign – Why did not Syria Join the war." Paper submitted at a Conference on "the 1956 War," the Herzl Institute for Research of Zionism, Haifa University, 5-6 December 2006.

46. "Syria, Lebanon and the Hizballah toward a Next Round?," paper submitted at a conference on "The Second Lebanon War," the School of Political Sciences at Haifa University, 12 December 2006.

47. "Whither Syria," paper delivered at a conference on "After Lebanon: A New Middle East?," the Gloria Center at the IDC, Herzliya, 6 January 2007.

48. "Iran, Alawite Syria and Hizballah: Who is Calling the Shots." Paper submitted at a  conference on "Iran, Hizballah and Hamas: Money, Martyrdom and the Mahdi," the Truman Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 13 April 2007.

49. "The Syria's Jewish Community under the Assad Regime." Paper submitted at a conference on "Syrian Jewry: History, Identity and Heritage, the Aharon and Rachel Dahan Center for Culture, Society and Education in the Sephardic Heritage at Bar-Ilan University, 29-30 May 2007.

50. "The Future of Syria." Paper submitted at an international conference on "The Future of the Middle East," the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar Ilan University, 12-13 June 2007.

51. " Israel and Syria – between War and Peace." Paper submitted at the AIS (Association of Israel Studies) annual conference, The Open University, Ra'anana, 111-13 June 2007.

52. "Syria’s Dilemma: Between Washington and Tehran." Paper submitted at the Sixth METU Conference on International Relations: "Middle East in Global and Regional Perspectives,"  Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 14-17 June 2007.

53. "Israel and the Arab World – Challenges and Prospects" Paper submitted at the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada, 17-20 November 2007. 

54. "Military Intervention and Democratization: Global Order and the Radical Islamic Challenge in Lebanon." Paper submitted at the international conference on "The Global and the Local: International Efforts to Resolve Local Conflict, organized by The S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies, The Tami Steimentz Center for Peace Research, The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). Tel Aviv University, 25-27 May 2008.

55. "Syria – the Road to the Six Day War," in a conference on the Six Day War – Regional and International Dimensions," organized by the Moshe Dayan Center, Tel Aviv University, 6 June 2008..

56. "The Hizballah-Israel War of 2006 and its consequences for the internal situation in Lebanon. Paper presented  at the international conference on the Middle  East , organized by the center for Contemporary Middle East Studies,  the University of south Denmark, Odensa , Denmark 26-27 september 2008

 57. "Israel and Syria – It's a long road to Peace," in the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference in Washington D. C., in 20-23 November 2008.

 58. "The Syrian Ba`th Regime - the Challenge of Islam," in a conference on the "Arab World – between Nationalism and Secularism," organized by the Moshe Dayan Center. 8 March 2009.

 59. "Hizballa – Three Years after the Second Lebanon War," in a conference on the Second Lebanon war, organized by the INSS, 12 July 2009.

 60. "Israel, Iran and the Arab World" in the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference in Boston, in 21-24 November 2009.

 61. “Memoirs Do Not Deceive: Syrians Consider the Fascist and Nazi Options – as   reflected in the Memoirs of Syrian Political Leaders and Intellectuals,” in an international conference on Arab Responses to Fascism and Nazism, 1933-1945: Reappraisals and New directions

Research workshop 23-26 May 2010, Tel Aviv University

 62. ""Lebanon's regional role," in a Conference on "Lebanon: Strategic and Military Perspectives," organized by the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen and the Institute for Strategy at the Royal Danish Defence College, in Copenhagen, in 3 September 2010

 63. "Syria's Politics and Economy'" in a conference on "Bashar al-Asad’s First Decade – A Period of Transition for Syria?," organized by Lund University, Sweden, on 7-10 October 2010.

 64. "Israel and the Arab World- between War and Peace" in the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference in San Diego, in 18-21 November 2010.

 65. Israel and the Arab Spring," in an international conference on The Arab Spring: What are the driving forces; Where is it heading; What are the Implications for the region and beyond?, organized by the NZ Institute of International Affairs and the Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, 2 August 2011.

 65. "Israel and the Arab Spring – The Syrian case" in the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference in Washington, in 1-4 December 2011.

 66. "Syria and the October War – the Missed Opportunity" in October 1973: The Politics, Diplomacy and Legacy of the Yom Kippur War, University of Birmingham, Brussels, 2-4 May 2012,

 66. "Israel and the Syrian Revolution," in the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference in Denver, in 16-20 December 2012.

 67. "Israel and the Syrian Revolution," MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, 10-13 October 2013

 68. "Israel and the New Middle East," Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash university, Melbourne, Australia 5-12 march 2014.

 69. "On the Sidelines? The Civil War in Syria from regional and international perspectives, Heidelberg Center for American Studies, 24 April 2014

70. "Israel and the Arab Spring," the Center for Israeli Studies at the National School of Political Science and Public Administration and at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Bucharest, Romania, 14 May 2014.

71. Israel in a New Middle East, in the MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) Annual Conference in Washington D. C., 22-25 November 2014

72. Syria – The Ba’th Party and the National Progressive Front (NPF) – a False Democratic Experience,  International Conference on Syria: History, Politics and Foreign Policy, Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara - 9-11 April 2015. 

 

Awards and Grants

1988 - 1992 The Colton Foundation, the Colton Scholarship for doctoral students. 

2000 - ISF, Faces of Syria - Community, Identity and State

2007 - ISF, Syria the French Mandate - the Forgotten Years - the Liberal Age 

2007- Adenauer Fund - Jewish-Arab Cooperation (KAP), the Arab Minority in Israel

2008 - The  Süleyman Demirel Program for Contemporary Turkish Studies

2009 - Yad Hanadiv, the Arab Press, Past and Persent 

PhD Students

1. Omri Nir,  Nabi Berri, the Shiites in Lebanon, 1918-1975 (With Prof. Itamar Rabinovich) (2004).

2. Raz Zimet, Between Iran and Egypt (with Prof. David Menashri) (2009). 

3. Uriyya Shavit,  Arab Response to the "End of Civilization," (with Prof. Yosef Kostiner) (2007)

4. Joel Parker, Akram al-Hawrani  (with Prof. Itamar Rabinovich) (2011)

5. Johanes Beke, State Extension in the Middle East (Israel/Palestinian Territories; Syria/Lebanon; Morocco/Western Sahara) (with Prof. Markus Jachtenfuchs), Berlin Graduate School for Transnational Studies, Hertie School of Governance (2011) 

6. Abd al-Qadir Kanaanai, Hizb'alla in Lebanon: al-Muqawama as a Contra Hegemonic Project (With Prof. Dani Falk), (2012)

7. Abd al-Wahab Habayib, Qawmiyya (Nationalism), Wataniyya (Patriotisim) and Islam, between Rashid Rida and Shakib Arslan, 1895-1935, (2010) 

8. Carl Yunker, The PPS (2013) 

9. Omril Almalah, Lebanese Diaspora in South Amrica  (with Prof. Raanan Rein) (2015)

10. Moran Levanoni, The Shi`ites and the Formation of Modern Lebanon (2014)

11. Oded Cohen, The Druze Community in the Golan Heights (2015)

12. Atara Linder, Syria under the Ba`th (2014).

13. Eli Avidar, (Libya and the Un Sanctions (2014)

14. Omer Einav - Jews and Arabs in Palestine/Eretz Israel (with Prof. Motti Golani)  (2014) 

15. Iftah Burman, Hizballa's Economic Network (2014)

16. Shai Shabtai, the Decline of the Iraqi State (2015)

17. Or Amar, Lebanese Identities (2015)

 

 

 

Books

1. Syria under Asad - At a Crossroads (Tel Aviv: HaKibutz Hameuhad, 1999) (in Hebrew).

2. Lebanon - The Challenge of Independence (London: I. B. Tauris, March 2000).

3. Asad’s Legacy, Syria in Transition (New York: New York University Press, 2000)

4. Faces of Syria: Regime, Society and State (Tel Aviv: HaKibutz Hameuhad, 2003) (in Hebrew).

5. In the Name of the Father, Bashar al-Asad's First Years in Power (Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv: University Press, 2004 ) (in Hebrew)

6. In the Name of the Father, Bashar al-Asad's First Years in Power (Cairo: Madbuli Publishing House, 2005) (in Arabic).

7. Commanding Syria, Bashar al-Asad's in Power (London: I. B. Tauris Academic Press, 2006).

8. Lebanon: the Bleeding Cedar, from the Civil War to the Second Lebanon War (Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2009) (in Hebrew).  

9.  Syria: Protest, Revolution, Civil War (Tel Aviv University: The Moshe DayanCenter for Middle).

 

Articles

1. “Syria and the Gulf War: Stepping on a New Path.” Orient, 4/93 (December 1993), pp. 563-579.

2. “The Downfall of the al-Khuri Administration: A Dubious Revolution.” Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 30, No. 3 (July 1994), pp. 486-511.

3. “Asad of Syria: The Leader and the Image.” Orient, 2/94 (June 1994), pp. 247-260.

4. “Syria: The Renewed Struggle Over the Succession.” The World Today, Vol. 50, No. 7 (July 1994), pp. 136-139.

5. “Asad Inches toward Peace.” Middle East Quarterly, Vol. I, No. 3 (September 1994), pp. 37-44

6. “Syria and Israel - on the Road to Peace.” Avrasya Dosyasi  (Strategic and Political Questions).  Vol. I, No. 3 (Winter 1994), pp. 109-122.

7.  “Toward the Post-Asad Era in Syria.” JIME Review (The Japanese Institute of Middle Eastern Economies Review), No. 28 (Spring 1995), pp. 5-16.

8. “The Succession Struggle in Damascus.” Middle East Quarterly, Vol. II, No. 3 (September 1995), pp. 57-64.

9.  “Syria and Israel: From War to Peace.” Orient 3/95 (September 1995), pp. 487-498.

10. “The Maronites, Lebanon and the State of Israel: Early Contacts.” Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 31, No. 4 (October 1995), pp. 889-918.

11. “Shattering of Illusions: Initial Contacts Between the Zionist Movement and the Maronite Community in Lebanon.” (Hebrew)    Iyunim Bitkumat Israel , Vol. VI (1996),  pp. 47-84.

12. “The Hizballah at a Crossroads.” Terrorism and Political Violence, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Summer 1996), pp. 90-110. The article was also published in Bruce Maddy-Weitzman and Efraim Inbar (eds.) Religious Radicalism in the Greater Middle East (London: Frank Cass, 1997), pp. 90-110.

13. “Syrian Foreign Policy: The Reverse side of the Same Coin.” JIME Review  (The Japanese Institute of Middle Eastern Economics Review), Vol. 10, No. 36 (Spring 1997), pp. 73-92.  

14. "Towrads a Domestic "New Deal” in Syria?” Hamizrah Hehadash, Vol. XXXVIII (1996) (Hebrew), pp. 116-134.

15. Decision Making in Asad’s Syria, (Washington: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, February 1998) Policy Focus No. 35.  

16. “Hafiz al-Asad Discovers Islam,” Middle East Quarterly, Vol. VI, No. 1 (March 1999), pp. 49-56.

17.  “Syria - at a Crossroads.”  Data and Analysis. (Tel Aviv, The Moshe Dayan Center, 1999)

18.  “Heir Apparent,” New Republic, 9 November 1999.

19.  “Syria – the Generational Question and the Struggle over the Succession,” Ma`arachot, no. 369 (February 2000), pp. 46-52.

20. “Clues to the Syrian Puzzle.” The Washington Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Spring 2000), pp. 79-90.
(Also appeared in Alexander T. J. Lennon (ed.) The Epicenter of Crisis (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2008), pp. 61-80.

21. “Waging Peace in the Middle East.” Perceptions, Vol. V, No. 1 (March – May 2000), pp. 66-81.,

22. “Hizballah: New Course or Continued Warfare,” MERIA (Middle East Review of International Affairs), Vol. 4, No. 3 (September 2000), pp. 1-15.

23.    “Will Bashshar al-Asad Last? Middle East Quarterly, Vol. VII, No. 3 (September 2000), pp. 3-12.

24.    “The Islamic Movement in Syria and the Ba`th Regime: Stepping onto a New Path.”  Hamizrah Hehadash, vol. 42 (2001), pp. 67-86.

25.      “”The Syrian Army – between the Domestic and the External Fronts,” MERIA (Middle East Review of International Affairs), Vol. 5, No. 1 (March 2001), pp. 1-17.

26.     “Who’s Afraid of Israel? ”Middle East Quarterly, Vol. VIII, No. 2 (Spring 2001), pp. 3-10.

27.     “The Israel-Syria Negotiations – What Went Wrong? Orient, Vol. 42, No. 2 (June 2001), pp. 225-251.

28.     “June 1967: Israel’s Capture of  the Golan Heights,” Israel Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 2002), pp. 168-194.

29.     “The Return of Hizballah,” Middle East Quarterly, Vol. IX, No. 4 (Fall 2002), pp. 3-12.

30.    “Who Rules Syria?,” Middle East Quarterly, Vol. X, No. 1 (Winter 2003), pp. 11-17.

31.    “Syria and the United States: bad Habits Die Hard,” Middle East Quarterly, vol. X, No. 3 (Summer 2003), pp. 29-38.

32.    “A False Spring in Damascus,: Orient, vol. 44 (1/03), pp. 39-63.

33.    “Syria and the War in Iraq,” MERIA (Middle East Review of International Affairs), Vol. 7, No. 2 (June 2003), pp. 1-12.

34.     "Bashar al-Asad and his Regime – Between Continuity and Change," Orient, Vol. 45, No. 2 (March 2004), pp. 239-256

35.     "Syria: the Ba`th Regime and the Islamic Movement – Stepping on a New Path?," the Muslim World, Vol. 95, No. 1 (January 2005), pp. 67-80.

36.     "Bashar al-Assad: In or Out of the New World Order," the Washington Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Summer 2005), pp. 116-131.

37.     "Who's Afraid of Syrian Nationalism?, National and State Identity in  Syria," Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 42, No. 2 (March 2006), pp. 179-199.

38.     "Syria and the Question of Weapons of Mass Destruction," MERIA Journal (Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal), Vol. 8, No. 3 (September 2004), pp. 3-11.

39.     "Syria, the US and Iraq – Two Years after the Downfall of Saddam Husayn," MERIA Journal (Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal), Vol. 9, No. 3 (September 2005), pp. 3-12.

40.     Syria: the Ba`th Regime and the Islamic Movement – Stepping on a New Path?," the Muslim World, Vol. 95, No. 1 (January 2005), pp. 67-80.

41.     "Bashar al-Assad: In or Out of the New World Order," the Washington Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Summer 2005), pp. 116-131.

42.      "Hizballah and Israel: Strategic Threat on the Northern Border" Israel Affairs, Vol. 12, No. 1, January 2006, pp. 86-106

43.    "Political Trends in the Middle East: Implications for Israel," Israel Affairs, Vol. 12, No, 4 (October 2006), pp. 684-697

44.    "Bashar al-Asad's Gamble," in Middle East Quarterly, Vol. XIII, No. 4 (Fall 2006), pp. 61-67.

45.    "The Syrian Phoenix – The Revival of the Syrian Social National Party in Syria." Die Welt Des Islam, Vol. 47, No. 2 (2007), pp. 188-206.

46.    "Where Is Bashar al-Assad Heading," Middle East Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 1 (winter 2008), pp. 35-41.

47.    "Lebanon – The Cedar Revolution – Between Continuity and Change," Orient, Vol. 47/ No. 4 (2006), pp. 460-483.

48.    An Israeli Watershed: Strike on Syria, Middle East Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 3 (Summer 2008), pp. 57-62

49.    "Nasrallah's Defeat in the 2006 War" Middle East Quarterly, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Winter 2009), pp. 27-37

51. "It's a Long road to Peace with Syria," Strategic Assessment, Vol. 11, No. 2 (November 2008), pp. 107-123.

52.  "Syria’s Diplomatic Comeback: What Next?," Mediterranean Politics, Vol. 14, No. 1 (March 2009), pp. 107–113.

53. "The Mouse and the Lion: Syria – Between Passive and Active Resistance to Israel," Strategic Assessment, Vol. 12, No. 1 (June 2009), pp. 77-88.

54. "The Israeli-Syrian-Lebanese Triangle – The Renewed Struggle over Lebanon," Israel Affairs, Vol. 15, No. 4 (October 2009), pp. 397-413.

55. "Israelis Confront the Second Lebanon War," Bustan, Vol. 1, No. 1 (2010) 29-43.

56. Iranian Involvement in Lebanon," Military and Strategic Affairs, Volume 3, No. 1, May 2011, pp-3-11.

57. "The Renewal of the “Struggle for Syria”: The Rise and Fall of the Ba’th Party," Sharqiyya fall 2011, pp. 21-29

58. "The ‘Struggle for Syria’: Return to the Past?," Mediterranean Politics, Vol. 17, No.1 (2012), pp. 105-110

59. "The crisis in Syria – Threats and Opportunities for Israel, inAnat Kurz and Shlomo Brom (eds.), Strategic Survey for Israel 2012-2013 (Tel Aviv: Institute for National Security Studies, 2013), pp. 167-185.

 60. "Can Assad's Syria Survive Revolution?", Middle East Quarterly, Vol. 20. No. 2 (Spring 2013), pp. 36-42.

 61. "Spring in Damascus: The Renewal Struggle for Syria." Hamizrach Hahadash (The New East), Vol. 52 (2013), pp. 35-43 (Hebrew),

 62.  "The Deadlocked Syrian Crisis: The Fable of the Ants and the Elephant." Strategic Assessment, Vol. 16, No. 2 (July 2013), pp. 35-46.

 63. " The Failure of U.S. Policy toward Damascus," Middle East Quarterly, Vol. 20. No. 3 (Fall 2013), pp. 21-42.

 64. "Alone at the Top: Bashar al-Assad  and the Struggle for Syria," Strategic Assessment, Vol. 16, No. 3 (October 2013), pp. 57-65.

 65. "The Syrian Deadlock – Bashar al-Assad and Barak Obama’s Moment of Truth," e-international Relations, 15 September 2013, pp. 1-3.

 66. "Frente Siria: el Espejismo de Octobre , Desperta Ferro, Contemporanea Vol. XXI, No. 3 (Junio 2014|) pp. 30-38.

67. "The End of the Syrian Revolution: between Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Islamic Caliphate and Bashar al-Assad's Baath Regime," Strategic Assessment, Vol. 17m no. 3 (October 2014), pp. 55-67.

68." What Will Rise from the Ashes of Hama? Religion and State in Baʿthi Syria," Bustan: The Middle East Book Review, Volume 5, Issue 1 (2014), pp. 45-54.

69.  "Israel and the Arab World: in the Shadow of Regional Upheaval – from the "arab Spring to the Summer of Isis," International relations and Diplomacy, Vol. 3, No. 5 (May 2015), pp. 329-340

 

Chapters in Books

 1.  “Armed Operations,” in Ami Ayalon (ed.) MECS (Middle East Contemporary Survey), (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1991), Vol. XIII (1989), pp. 102-116.

 2.  “Syria,” in Ami Ayalon (ed.)  MECS, (Boulder,  Colorado: Westview Press, 1992), Vol. XIV (1990), pp. 649-668.

 3.  “Syria,” in Ami Ayalon (ed.) MECS, (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1993),Vol. XV (1991), pp. 664-689.

4.  “Syria” in Ami Ayalon (ed.) MECS, (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1994),Vol. XVI (1992), 671-690.

5.   “Syria,” in Ami Ayalon (ed.) MECS, (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1995),Vol. XVII (1993), pp. 680-705.

6. “Syria and Israel: Toward a Change.” In Efraim Inbar (ed.) Regional Security Regimes : Israel and its Neighbors (New York:  State University of New York Press, 1995), pp. 151-174.

7.  “Syria,” in Bruce Maddy-Weitzman (ed.) MECS, (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1996),Vol. XVII (1994), pp. 610-653.

8. “The Hizballah at a Crossroads.” In Bruce Maddy-Weitzman and Efraim Inbar (eds.) Religious Radicalism in the Greater Middle East (London: Frank Cass, 1997), pp. 90-110. The article was also published in Terrorism and Political Violence, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Summer 1996), pp. 90-110.

9.  “Syria,” in Bruce Maddy-Weitzman (ed.) MECS, (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1997), Vol. XIX (1995), pp. 591-621.

10.   “The Islamic Movement in Syria” in Meir Litvak (ed.) Islam and Democracy in the Arab World (Hebrew) (Tel Aviv: Kav Adom, 1997),  pp. 96-122.).

11.  “The Alawis, Lords of Syria: From Ethnic Minority to Ruling Sect.” In Gabriel Ben-Dor and Ofra Bangio (eds.) Minorities and State in the Arab world (New York: Lynne Reinner, 1998), pp. 129-145

12. “Syria,” in Bruce Maddy-Weitzman (ed.) MECS, (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1998),Vol. XX (1996), pp. 630-673.

13. “Syria,” in Bruce Maddy-Weitzman (ed.) MECS, (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1999),Vol. XXI (1997), pp. 647-692.

14.  “Syria - The Renewed Struggle for Power,” in Moshe Ma`oz, Joseph Ginat and Onn Winckler (eds.) Modern Syria - From Ottoman rule to Pivotal Role in the Middle East (Brighton: Sussex Academic Press, 1999), pp. 33-54.

15.  “Syria - Strategic and Political Aspects,” in Moshe Maoz (ed.) The Golan between War and Peace (Or Yehuda: Hed Arzi Publishing House, 1999), pp. 57-62.

16. “Syria,” in Bruce Maddy-Weitzman (ed.) MECS, (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2001),Vol. XXII (1998), pp. 563-594.

17.  “On Opposite Sides of the Hill: Syrian and Israeli Perspectives,” in Laura Zittrain-Eizenberg and Neil Caplan (eds.) Review Essays in Israel Studies (New York: state University of New York Press, 2000) Books on Israel, vol. V, pp. 241-261.

18. “Syria,” in Bruce Maddy-Weitzman (ed.) MECS, (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2001), Vol. XXIII (1999), pp. 548-572.

19. “Israel-Syria Peace Negotiations - December 1999 – March 2000- Missed Opportunity?”

 In Joseph Ginat, Edward J. Perkins, Edwin G. Corr (eds.) The Middle East Peace Process – Vision Versus Reality (Sussex Academic Press, 2002), pp. 229-245.

21. “Lebanon – State and Diaspora and the Question of Political Stability.” In Moshe Ma`oz and Gabriel Sheffer (eds.) Minorities and Diasporas (Brighton: Sussex University Press, 2002), pp. 231-247.

22. “Elections in Syria” In Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz and Christof Hartmann (eds.) Elections in Asia and the Pacific (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), pp. 213-232.

23. “Syria,” in Bruce Maddy-Weitzman (ed.) MECS, Vol. XXIV (2000), pp. 532-563.

24. “Hizballah, between Armed Struggle and Domestic Politics, “ in Barry Rubin (ed.) Revolutionaries and Rerformers, Contemporary Islamist Movements in the Middle East (New York: State university of New York Pres, 2003), pp. 91-105.

 25. "The 1982 Peace for Galilee War: Looking Back in Anger – Between an Option of a War and a War of No Option," in Mordechai Bar-on (ed), A Never Ending Conflict, A Guide to Israeli Military History (London: Praeger, 2004), pp. 193-210.

26. "National and State Identity in Syria," in Moshe Gammer (ed.) Community, Identity and the State, Comparing Africa, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East (New York: Routledge, 2004), pp. 89-103.

27. "France and Syria: From Enemy to Friend," in Michel Abitbol (ed.) France and the Middle East, Past, Present, and Future (Jerusalem: Hebrew University Magnes Press, 2004), pp. 275-292.

28. "Britain and the Levant, 1918-1946 – A Missed Opportunity?," in Zach Levey and Elie Podeh (eds.) Britain and the Middle East, From Imperial Power to Junior Partner (Brighton: Sussex Academic Press, 2008), pp. 133-151.

30. "Syria and Israel – Between War and Peace," in Elie Podeh and Asher Kaufman (eds.) Arab-Jewish Relations, from Conflict to Resolution? (Brighton: Sussex Academic Press, 2006), pp. 114-131

31. "Bashshar al-Asad - Between East and West," in Meir Litvak (ed.) Middle Eastern Societies and the West between East and West (Tel Aviv University: the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies, 2006), pp. 59-80.

32. "Hizballah's Challenge to Israel," in P.R. Kumaraswamy and Efraim Inbar (eds.) Israel and the Islamic World (forthcoming).

33.  "In the Name of the Father, Is Bashar al-Asad in Control of Syria? In Tamar Yagnes (ed.) The Middle East: The Impact of Generational Change (Tel Aviv: The Moshe Dayan Center     for Middle Eastern and African Studies, 2005), pp. 49-55.

34. "The Battle for Lebanon: Lebanon and Syria in the Wake of the War," in Shlomo Brom and Meir Elran (eds.) The Second Lebanon War: Strategic Perspectives (Tel Aviv: Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv University, 2007), pp. 135-150.

35. "Writing a Constitution: Constitutional Debates in Syria in the Mandate Period," in Christoph Schumann (ed.) Liberal Thought in the Eastern Mediterranean, Late 19^th Century until the 1960s (Leiden: Brill, 2008).

36. "Hizbalah in Lebanon: Between Tehran and Beirut, between the struggle with Israel, and the struggle for Lebanon" was published in Barry Rubin (ed.) Lebanon, Liberation, Conflict, and Crisis (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), pp. 155-176.

37. "Modern Syria: a Model for a Middle Eastern Territorial State," in Ilan Rachum (ed.) Back to Politics, the Modern State, Nationality and Sovereignty (Jerusalem: The Zalman Shazar Center for Jewish History, 2009) (Hebrew), pp. 219-244.

38. "Military Intervention and Democratization: Global Order and the Radical Islamist challenge to Lebanon," in Uzi Rabi (ed.) International intervention in Local Conflicts, Crisis Management and Conflict Resolution since the Cold War (London. I.. B. Tauris, 2010), pp.  163-176.

39. "Rashid Rida: On the way to Syrian nationalism in the shade of Islam and Arabism," in Adel Beshara (ed.) The Origins of Syrian Nationalism, Histories, Pioneers and Identity (New York: Routledge, 2011), pp. 123-140.

40. "Thus Suni-Sh`iite Struggle over Lebanon: A New Chapter in the History of Lebanon," in Ofra Bengio and Meir Litvak (eds.) The Sunna and Shi`a in History, Division and Ecumenism in the Muslim Middle East  (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), pp. 145-162.

 41. "The Middle East: Strategic and Military Balance of Power," in B. J. C. McKercher (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Diplomacy and Statecraft (New York: Routledge, 2012), pp. 388-397.

 42. "Israel and Syria in the aftermath of the second Lebanon War (2006-2009): between War and Peace", in Michael M. Laskier and Ronen Yitzhak (eds.) Security and Political Challenges Put to test: Israel in the Arab and International Arenas (Hebrew) (Ramat Gan: Bar Ilan University Press, 2012), pp.563-582.

43. "Hizballa – Jihad without an end," in Yossef Kostiner (ed.) Jihad: Ideological Roots (Tel Aviv, The Moshe Dayan Center, 2012) (Hebrew), pp. 207-228.

44. The Syrian State in a Crisis of Identity: Syrian, Arab, or Islamic? Anita Shapira, Yedidia . Stern and Alexander Yakobson (eds.) Nation State and Religion, The Resurgence of Faith, Vol. II, (Brighton: Sussex Academic Press, 2013), pp, 119-128.

45. "Syria and the October War: The Missed Opportunity," in Asaf Siniver (ed.) the October 1973 War, Politics, Diplomacy, Legacy (London: Hurst, 2013), pp. 67-84.

46. "Memoirs Do Not Deceive: Syrians Confront Fascism and Nazism – as Reflected in the Memoirs of Syrian Political Leaders and Intellectuals," in Israel Gershoni (ed.) Arab Responses to Fascism and Nazism (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014), pp. 73-100.

47. "The Kurds in Syria: Caught between the struggle for civil equality and the search for national identity," in Ofra Bengio (ed.) Kurdish Awakening, National Building in a Fragmented Homeland (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014) pp. 193-214

48. "Syria: between Dar`a and Suwayda: Communities and State in the Shadow of the Syrian Revolution," in Brandon Friedman and Bruce Maddy-Weitzman (eds.) Inglorious Revolutions: State Cohesion in the Middle East after the Arab Spring (The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle East and African Studies, Tel Aviv University, 2014), pp. 107-120.,   

Reviews

 1.     Laura Zittrain Eisenberg, My Enemy’s Enemy: Lebanon in the Early Zionist Imagination. In The Journal of Israeli History, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Spring 1995), pp. 68-69.

2.  Bernard Lewis, The Middle East, 2000 Years of History, from the Rise of Christianity to the Present Day. In Hamizrah Hehadah, Vol. 42 (2001), pp. 276-277.

3. Muhammad Faour, Lebanon: The Silent Revolution: Changing Values of the Youth; Nasser M. Kalawoun, The Struggle for Lebanon: A Modern History of Lebanese-Egyptian Relations. In Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 37, No. 3 (July 2001), pp. 211-214.

4. Nawaf Salam, Options for Lebanon. In Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 41, No. 4 (July 2005), pp. 627-630.

5. Flynt L. Leverett, Inheriting Syria: Bashshar' Trail by Fire. In Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 41, No. 6 (November 2005), pp.1009-1013.

6. H. E. Chelabi, Distant Relations, Iran and Lebanon in the Last 500 Years. In Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 42, No. 6 (November 2006), pp. 1033-1037.

7.  Tamara Chalabi, The Shi`is of Jabal Amil and the New Lebanon: Community and Nation-State, 1918-1943. In Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 43, No. 1 (January 2007), pp. 166-171.

8.  Michael Provence, The Great Arab Revolt and the Rise of Arab Nationalism. In Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 43, No. 2 (March 2007), pp. 330-334.

9. Keith David Watenpaugh, Being Modern in the Middle East: Revolution, Nationalism, Colonialism, and the Arab Middle Class. In H-Levant@H-Net.MSU.edu, 16 January 2008.

10. Miriam Cooke, Dissident Syria: Making Oppositional Art Official. In Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 44, No. 4 (July 2008), pp. 646-652.

11. Roshanack Shaery-Eisenlohr, Shi`ite Lebanon: Transnational Religion and the Making of National Identities in Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 45 No. 3 (May 2009), pp. 517-523.

12. Yigal Kipnis, The Mountain that was as a Monster: The Golan between Syria and Israel (2010); Bustan: The Middle East Book Review, Volume 1, Issue 1 (2010), pp. 45 – 46.

13. Götz Nordbruch, Nazism in Syria and Lebanon: The Ambivalence of the German Option, 1933-1945 (Routladge, 2009) Bustan, The Middle East Book Review, Volume 1, Issue 1 (2010), pp. 54-55.

14. Benjamin Thomas White, The Emergence of Minorities in the Middle East: The Politics of Community in French Mandate Syria, in Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 49 No. 4 (July 2013), pp. 668-671.

15. Bouthaina Shaaban, Damascus Diary: An Inside Account of Hafez al-Asad's Peace Diplomacy, 1990-2000, in Middle East Journal, Vol. 67, No. 3 (Summer 2013), pp. 486-487.

16.  Joshua Stacher, Adaptable Autocrats: Regime Power in Egypt and Syria (Stanford University Press, 2012), Bustan: The Middle East Book Review, Volume 5, Issue 1 (2014), pp. 24-25.