Contemporary Syria: Liberalization between Cold War and Cold Peace by Eberhard KienleReview by: William B. QuandtForeign Affairs, Vol. 74, No. 3 (May - Jun., 1995), p. 187Published by: Council on Foreign RelationsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20047181 .

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Recent Books

previous one? It suffers from some of the

same flaws: extensive quotations of

conversations based on memory and,

supposedly, notes. It attributes enormous

power to Mossad, along with a total lack

of moral scruples and political control.

And there is almost no way of checking the truth of his assertions, some of which

are very dramatic, including a plan to

assassinate President Bush. No doubt

some of this book is true, but to sort out

fact from deception is extremely difficult.

A common thread in the two books is the

author's high opinion of himself.

Contemporary Syria: Liberalization

Between Cold War and Cold Peace.

EDITED BY EBERHARD KIENLE.

London: British Academic Press, 1994,

187 pp. $59.95. A conference volume based on two-year old papers by leading Syria specialists. The common concern of most authors is eco

nomic liberalization. Will Syria find that

opening its economy, as it is now doing, entails political liberalization as well, or

will the Chinese model of economic liberalization without a political opening

hold? On balance, the authors do not see

any necessary evolution on the political

front, although some see that change is

inevitable over the longer term, especially once President Assad has left the scene.

On balance, a very solid collection.

The Politics of Pan-Islam: Ideology and

Organization, Revised and Updated, by

jacob m. landau. NewYork:

Oxford University Press, 1994, 438 pp.

$19.95 (paper).

Originally published in 1990, this distin

guished history has been revised and

updated, especially to take into account

the new Islamic republics of the former

Soviet Union. Pan-Islam, of course, has

failed to integrate the many diverse

Muslim states, and Landau foresees noth

ing to change this prospect. He offers the

thought, however, that Islam might yet

provide some loose confederacy of Islamic

states. But proponents of the clash of

civilizations will find little grist for their mill in this careful historical overview.

Asia and the Pacific DONALD ZAGORIA

Democracy in Japan: The Emerging Global Concern, by frank mcneil. New

York: Crown Publishers, 1994, 280 pp.

$25.00.

Although the American media remains

myopically focused on trade issues with

Japan, the current crisis in Japan's demo

cratic institutions raises more fundamen

tal questions: How deep are the roots of

democracy in Japan? Will much-needed

democratic reforms prosper? Is a return

to militarism possible? Can this self

absorbed country shed its insularity? What are the prospects for revitalizing

the U.S.-Japan alliance?

All of these issues are addressed in

this lively and readable book by a former U.S. Foreign Service officer who spent

ten years in Japan during the course of a

diplomatic career and has recently contributed to projects on Japan for

To order any book reviewed or advertised in Foreign Affairs, call 1-800-255-2665.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS-May/June 1995 [187]

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