A l’occasion de la loi grecque sur le vote des nationaux expatriés, Christos Marsellos a mis en relief, dans un texte dense et profond, une tension constitutive de l’état-nation.[1] C'est la tension entre le "social" et le "politique" que la Révolution française a léguée à la modernité occidentale. Par sa composante sociale, l'état-nation tend vers la logique de l'empire, qui vise la coexistence pacifique des populations ethniquement dissemblables. Les individus sont tenus ensemble par la protection d’un pouvoir qui requiert en échange leur obéissance passive. Par sa composante politique, l'état-nation tend vers la logique de la cité, qui prévoit la participation au pouvoir des citoyens qui sont "actifs" dans la mesure où ils partagent une même identité et peuvent se donner des buts collectifs.
‘The Battle for Syria’ is an ambitious endeavor penned by a scholar well-versed in the region’s sociopolitical intricacies. An original and timely contribution, it situates the Syrian conflict within a rapidly-changing Middle East. Indeed, the subtitle rather serves as an involuntary warning and an index of its remit, focusing mainly on the behavior of external actors. Those seeking an immersion into Syria’s domestic political dynamics would be well-advised to look elsewhere. Phillips takes the approach of the international relations’ scholar, which at times makes the book feel informationally overloaded. The book’s leitmotif is that the Syrian theatre has been a reflection of the power projection of 6 main players, namely the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar and Turkey). It is the external behavior of those countries that has invariably had a heavy impact on the ravaged country’s state of affairs.
The Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East & Islamic Studies posts a multitude of positions in the context of free academic debate. These do not necessarily reflect the positions of the CEMMIS. The use and reproduction of the multimedia material displayed in the CEMMIS website has non-profit character and serves academic and educational purposes, with full respect to copyright and intellectual property laws, and in accordance with the Greek Laws 2121/1993 and 2557/1997.