Out on January 29th (UK) / February 24th (US) 2026
Recommended by the Financial Times‘What to read in 2026‘
“Daniel Neep’s excellent, comprehensive history of ‘modern’ Syria corrects the traditional narrative of a passive Syria by placing its people at the heart of their story… [a] masterly narrative.” Financial Times
“[Neep] is a diligent tour guide… and writes vividly, telling Syrian history through the push-and-pull of social forces rather than an endless succession of Sultans and military coups.” – The Telegraph
“Daniel Neep has delivered a masterful history of Syria that is both sweeping in scope and brimming with vivid detail. Grounded in rigorous research, great storytelling, and original analysis, this is a riveting and insightful book.” – Wendy Pearlman, author of We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled
“Drawing on a wide range of Arabic sources, Neep reframes our understanding of Syria’s turbulent political history with careful attention to both highly local dynamics and the broader regional and international context. This magnificent, beautifully written political history will be required reading for anyone interested in Syria or the broader Middle East.” Marc Lynch, author of America’s Middle East
“This is a rare book that magnificently captures how Syria’s political sediments shaped its trajectory from the late Ottoman period through to the collapse of the Assad regime. Neep is a masterful storyteller who weaves together Syria’s many conflicts over society, politics, identity, and the state into a highly readable text.” – Samer Abboud, Villanova University
“Neep’s sweeping account tracks the story of how a country and its people have sought to make sense of its place in the world while enduring dictatorship, war and terrorism.” – Financial Times ‘What to read in 2026’
About Syria: A Modern History
A landmark new history of Syria—a country forged in conflict, cursed by civil war and dictatorship, and pivotal to the future of the Middle East
Modern Syria has seen violence, repression, and autocracy, suffering through tragedy after tragedy over the past century. Yet the history of Syria is not just a tale of dictators and generals. From the 1800s to the 2020s, the Syrian people have engaged in a passionate struggle for justice, equality, and a better future.
Whether fighting for national independence from French colonial rule, battling local landowning elites to share the country’s wealth, or rising up against the Assad regime, the Syrian people have fiercely clung to their right to live with respect and dignity. Theirs is a story of protest and perseverance in the long fight to reshape the political destiny of their nation.
This new book offers a gripping narrative of how Syrians have navigated these events. Never losing sight of the fates of ordinary people, it provides a comprehensive account of how a nation born in conflict nevertheless sustained a rich, complex, and diverse society that will now chart its own path into the uncertain future.
About the Author
Daniel Neep is Non-resident fellow at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University, and Senior Editor at the Arab Center Washington DC. This is his second book on Syria, where he lived for five years.
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and Donald Trump’ (November 2025)
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Daniel Neep 