European and US scholars of international relations examine Syrian politics during the first decade of the 20th century, from Bashar al-Asad's accession in July 2000 to the outbreak of the revolt against his regime in early 2011. They look at the strategies and practices of authoritarian upgrading that matured under the multiple crises threatening the Syrian regime during the decade while also identifying in these same practices the seeds of the 2011 revolt. Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)