Book Review: Imad Salamey, Mohammed Abu-Nimer and Elie Abouaoun (eds), Post-Conflict Power-Sharing Agreements: Options for Syria
| Published date | 01 August 2019 |
| Author | Sophie Whiting |
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929918814047 |
| Date | 01 August 2019 |
| Subject Matter | Commissioned Book Review |
book-review2018
Commissioned Book Review
Political Studies Review
2019, Vol. 17(3) NP15 – NP16
Commissioned Book Review
journals.sagepub.com/home/psrev
Post-Conflict Power-Sharing Agreements:
across nation states in the Middle East.
Options for Syria by Imad Salamey,
Driving the discussion throughout the book is
Mohammed Abu-Nimer and Elie Abouaoun
the central question of how to accommodate
(eds). Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.
these societal fragmentations along sectarian,
tribal and regional lines within a political
In search of a potential power-sharing solution
settlement?
to the entrenched conflict in Syria, this edited
The book goes far beyond a discussion on
collection explores numerous post-conflict
the potential of power sharing to include a
settlements from across the globe. The Syrian
range of debates around how to best approach
conflict has been characterised by grave viola-
peace negotiations beyond Syria. For example,
tions of human rights, including the use of
Khourey and Ghosn push the boundaries of
chemical weapons and torture, with over 6
consociational power sharing beyond elite-
million internally displaced people and level politics resulting in an interesting discus-
another 5 million seeking refuge abroad.
sion around the importance of local negotiations
Before even considering what a power-sharing
and the use of institutional quotas for civil
settlement may look like, with the continued
society actors and unions. Roy’s chapter high-
violence characterised by ‘extreme intensity
lights the impact of the conflict on women as
and complexity – with large numbers of entan-
well as their constricted role within formal
gled domestic and foreign participants’ (p. 37),
peace negotiations. Cortes and Merheb-
this book is highly ambitious from the outset.
Ghanem provide a systematic discussion on
This edited collection goes beyond the
...
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