Although The Battle for Syria does discuss the internal aspects of the conflict in Syria that has raged since 2011, author Christopher Phillips focuses on the actions of the six principal external actors involved in this conflict: the United States, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. In it, Phillips describes in detail how Russia and Iran have supported the Asad regime; how Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar supported its opponents, but often worked at cross-purposes; and how the Obama Administration pursued a confused policy of calling for Asad to step down but doing little to bring this about, working much harder to combat ISIS, and seeking to prevent large-scale US military involvement in Syria. One of the main themes of the book is that the United States is no longer a hegemonic power in the Middle East, and that some external actors (Russia and Iran) recognized this while others (Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar) did not. The latter three in particular kept expecting that greater US support for the anti-Asad opposition would materialize, but this did not occur.
The book is based on a thorough reading of press accounts and analytical reports as well as interviews (some attributed, and some not) with knowledgeable observers from many countries. What emerges from Phillips's analysis is a complicated portrait of how differing resources, geographic realities, domestic political factors, definitions of national interests, relations with different Syrian actors, and analyses of the situation all contributed to the policies of these external powers. Adding further complication, of course, is how their differing policies all fared on the ground, collided with one another, and contributed to further policy change.
The descriptive nature of the book may disappoint international relations theorists. But that should not detract from the value of Phillips's analysis to those primarily interested in understanding the international dimensions of the conflict in Syria. In addition, international relations theorists should also find the book useful both for testing and formulating theories about how conflicts play out where there are numerous external actors involved. What Phillips's complex account shows is that there can be no simple theory explaining this.
Phillips does show, however, that when larger powers are not (or not strongly) engaged in a conflict, then smaller ones can play an important and outsized role. But when larger ones that were less engaged become more so, then the role of smaller powers diminish—as his discussion of the role of Qatar suggests. What Phillips also shows is that while the anti-Asad external powers (the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar) often worked at cross-purposes, the pro-Asad external powers (Russia and Iran) were able to coordinate more effectively. Many authors have pointed out that Russian–Iranian relations have often been contentious, and that differences between them in Syria could emerge. What Phillips shows, though, is that at least in Syria, Russian and Iranian interests are indeed different, but not so much opposed to each other. The Russian military intervention in Syria that began in September 2015, though, did serve to increase the relative influence of Russia compared to Iran in Syria.
Phillips's account concludes at the end of the first quarter of 2016. That being the case, his book does not cover the Trump Administration's policy, the decline of ISIS, Turkey's intervention in Afrin, or the growing tension between Israel on the one hand and Iran and Hizbullah on the other. Phillips pointed out that Israel played a remarkably passive role in the Syrian conflict up through early 2016. But with the increased tension between Israel and Iran/Hizbullah after the decline of ISIS, an updated version of the book might have to include Israel as one of the important external actors in Syria both in its own right and in terms of how it influences Trump Administration policy toward Syria.
Phillips has provided an excellent account of the role played by external actors in the Syrian civil war. While events taking place after the book's completion in early 2016 are not covered, The Battle for Syria is an essential guide for understanding the international aspects of the Syrian conflict that have taken place since then. It is, in my view, a book that scholars, students, and the interested public will all find useful.
