SYRIA BURNING A SHORT HISTORY OF A CATASTROPHE

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CHARLES GLASS is an author, journalist and broadcaster, who specializes in the Middle East. He made headlines when taken hostage for 62 days in Lebanon by Shi'a militants in 1987, while writing a book during his time as ABC's News chief Middle East correspondent. He writes regularly for New York Review of Books, Harper's, London Review of Books and The Spectator.

What are the origins of the Syrian crisis, and why did no one do anything to stop it? Since its commencement in the upsurge of the Arab Spring in 2011, the Syrian civil war has claimed in excess of 200,000 lives, with an estimated 8 million Syrians, more than a third of the country's population, forced to flee their homes. A stalemate now exists but out of the vacuum has emerged the Sunni insurgents ISIS who now, it is estimated occupies some 35% of the country, as well as vast territory across the border in Iraq. Glass combines reportage, analysis and history to provide an accessible overview of the origins and permutations defining the conflict, situating it clearly in the overall crisis of the region. His voice is elegant and concise, humane and richly- informed.

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