Particular emphasis is placed on the unique relationship between the leaders of the Syrian army and the Ba'th party organization, and the role played in Syrian politics by sectarian loyalties and tensions. Syria's complex relationship with Egypt and President Nasser and the dichotomy of the Ba'th regime and the Syrian population are covered in detail.
The reader is presented with several useful appendixes*unobtainable elsewhere: lists of Syrian cabinets, Ba'th party congresses, National and Regional Commands, Ba'th and Syrian personalities, and the first English translation of a major Ba'thi ideological text.