A friend from Aleppo laughs cynically as she describes the fighters occupying her home city in the days before she left. ‘It was like the United Colours of Benetton – French, Pakistanis, Afghans, Belgians… even a guy from China!’ Just as rivalry among imperial powers over Damascus led to the creation of Syria, it is at the hands of international interests that the country is today unravelling.
Like its neighbours, the state’s ancient terrain was reconfigured in the aftermath of World War One, coming under French mandate until independence in 1946. Yet Western influence was soon eclipsed by Arab nationalism, pioneered by Egypt and backed by the Soviet Union.
