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Syria the Green Island of Freedom

  In this book Gen Afif Al Bizri wrote about events, that he personally initiated or was a witness to, during the 50s of the last century.  "Syria the Green Island of Freedom" was published as a series of monthly articles, which appeared in the Falestin Al-Thawrah magazine over two years between 1989 and 1990

INTRODUCTION

The New Colonialism

1. The Circumstances of the Emergence of the American Empire
2. The Establishment of the New Colonialism
3. Examples of the American Colonial Activities

Syria's Struggle for Independence

1. The Falsification of the History of our Arab Nation
2. The Departure of Colonialists from Syria

On the Path to Freedom

1. Syrian's Society after Independence
2. The Patriotic Movements in the Arab Countries
3. The Muslim Brothers Group
4. The Syrian National  Party
5. The Arab Ba'ath Party
6. The Communist Party

The Early Days of Independence

1. National Ambitions and Colonial Greed
2. The Collapse of Feudalism following the Departure of the Colonialists
3. The Reelection of Mr Shukri Al Quatli to the Presidency
4. The Collapse of the First Phase of the Independence

The First Military Coup

1. The Abstention of Progressive Movements to Hold the Flag
2. The End of Al Za'eem's Adventure

Revolution is the Destiny of the Weak

1. The Position of the Different Sides to the Unification
2. Adib Al Shishakly
3. No Deliverance Except by Revolution

The Shishakly Era

1. The Loss of the Real Unification in the Reactionists Rivalry 
2. The Shishakly - Husaini Duo
3. Al Shishakly Rises to Fell

Colonial Alliances

1. The Joint Defense Alliance
2. The Baghdad Alliance

The People Emerge on the Field

1. National and International Circumstances
2. The People of Syria Destroy the Dictatorship

Syria Freezes Baghdad Alliance

1. The Decay and Collapse of Reactionism
2. The People Surpass the Parties

USA Advances the Colonialists

1. The Third World and the Old Colonialism
2. The Relationships with the Socialist Camp
3. America Plots to Assassinate Al Malki

The Patriotic Front

1. USA did not liberate the colonies from the old colonialists: the Americans put pressure on Syria to keep the trial of Col. Adnan Al Malki, the Syrian Army Chief in Command assassinators, behind closed doors to avoid the scandal of their implication. Dr. Ralph J. Bunche the UN Under-Secretary-General told Al Bizri: I can't speak in your (Syria’s) favour in the General Assembly against the USA and Israel; otherwise I would rescue my family and my own safety. New spirit in the Syrian army: The army should guard people's freedom and support the democratically elected government.
2. The National Doctrine: 1955 elections, Shukri Al Quatli wins. Al Quatli invites the Syrian parties, politicians and political movements to discard their differences and unite in one patriotic front.

The struggle of the Syrian people

1. Syrian and Egyptian revolutions get together:the Syrian patriots abandon their doubts towards the Egyptian military dictatorship led by Nasser after the Suez crisis in 1956 and the defeat of the old colonialists. Mahmoud Riad, the Egyptian ambassador to Damascus did not bring about the public opinion switch in favour of the Egyptian regime.

2. Syria the green island of freedom: Joseph Elsop’s lies, journalist at The New York Herald Tribune, 25^th of May 1956 issue. The formation of the military group command that controls the Syrian army and supports the Patriotic Front. The speech of Shukri Al Quatli, the Syrian president, Nehru the Indian leader says: Syria is the green island of freedom.

3. The triple aggression: USA implicates Britain and France in attacking Egypt then abandoning them and advises them to withdraw in order to destroy their influence in the Middle East. Gen. Al Bizri heads the armed brigade deployed to Jordan in support of the Egyptian army. The Hashemite in Iraq and Jordan conspire with the British to topple the democratic government of Syria.

Storm in a Tea Cup

1. The leading of the struggle is a school and not individualism:the Americans penetrate the national forces and the revolutionary movements and get the benefit of these movements in striking the old British and French colonialists clearing the way to build the new American imperialism. The Americans mobilise the Sadatists (from Al Sadat the Egyptian president after Abdel Nasser) inside the Nasseristic movement in Egypt. The Syrian and the Egyptian national schools lead the struggle in the region.

2. The defeats of the Americans and their agents in Syria: Gen. Al Bizri tackles the Qatana military rebellion that is caused by the new assignments in the Syrian army general staff. The formation of the military-civil patriotic supreme command to coordinate between the army and the patriotic civil front.

The Unity of the Colonialists and their Servants

1. Al Zarqa Coup d'état: USA seizes the leading role in Baghdad Alliance from Britain. The American convoy to the Middle East, James Richards, encourages King Hussein of Jordan to make Al Zarqa Coup, Egypt supports the coup. Saudi foreign minister Sheik Yousef Yaseen tries to bribe the Syrian army officers in favour of the American interest in the erea.

2. The patriotic leadership in Syria stumbles: the parliament leader Akram Al Horani from Al Ba'ath party manipulates the Patriotic Front. The crises between the civil politicians and the army officers in the Patriotic Front.

3. Severe defeat for USA: the American Stone's conspiracy fails. USA fervently prepares with its allies in the Middle East for an aggression against Syria. The Soviet Union and the Eastern block support Syria. The Syrian and Egyptian armies coordinate with each other.

The Syrian- Egyptian Unification

1. The unification is a revolution for freedom and progress: political and historical analysis about the unification of the Arab countries and the role of the European colonialism and the American imperialism in dividing the Arab world.

2. The politicians' hesitation delays the unification: the self-interest of the politicians blocks the unification attempts.

3. The realisation of the unification: the Syrian army puts an end to the long delay in the Syrian-Egyptian unification and the role of Gen. Afif Al Bizri in establishing the UAR in February 1958.