Syrian Civil War and Europe China Perspectives Series

Known as the ?beating heart? of the Arab World, Syria has held high geographic and political importance in the Middle East and has been the battlefield of superpowers for centuries. Since the outbreak of the ?Arab Spring,? its central role has been reinforced by its civil war, one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts since World War II, causing significant humanitarian disaster.

With American power diminishing and European power in the region emerging, Europe has begun to exert its impact on Syria, and this book analyzes the diplomatic policies of European countries on Syria from the perspective of Chinese scholars. Starting with a review of the European Union?s policies in the Middle East and North Africa as a whole, the authors analyze the Syrian policies of France, the United Kingdom and Germany, the three most influential and representative countries on the European continent. The authors argue that the favoured ?humanitarian intervention? concept failed to achieve the expected results, increased the bloodiness of the Syrian civil war and undermined the European Union?s advantage in the region.

Researchers and students of international relations as well as Middle East Studies will benefit from this volume.

Zhao Chen is a Senior Research Fellow and Professor, Chief of European Diplomacy Department, Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Zhao Jizhou is Assistant Professor at the Department of European Diplomacy Studies, Institute of European Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Dr. Zhao's research interests range from European foreign, security and defense policies to China-Europe relations and transatlantic relations as well as NATO.

Huang Mengmeng is German Chancellor Fellow of Humboldt Foundation, Visiting Scholar at University Heidelberg and University Tübingen and former Assistant Professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Science. Dr. Huang’s research focuses on the trilateral relationship between the United States, China and Europe.