Syria. The path from war to peace

Syria. The path from war to peace

Rome [ENA] AlJazeera News of 24th march 2023 reported: “Saudi Arabia and Syria are in talks over a resumption of consular services between the two countries, according to Saudi state television, an indication of a possible restoration of ties between the two countries. Saudi Arabia, which backed the Syrian opposition in the country’s war, closed its embassy in Damascus and expelled the Syrian ambassador in 2012”.

To learn more about the Syrian situation, a recently published book is not to be missed . It is a precious book by Russian diplomat Maria Khodynskaya-Golenischeva which has been published by the Italian publisher Sandro Teti Editore in Rome. The author is a  Russian , analist and writer, with a Ph.D. in Contemporary History. In this book she examines the complex Middle Eastern situation in all its aspects and analyses the background and the main causes of the Syrian Civil War.

She reviews a wide spectrum of anti-government and pro-government military groups; highlights the importance of the US, Turkey and other regional players and the role they could play in the future. The description of the complex Moscow diplomacy, both within the United Nations and on bilateral and multilateral levels is very interesting for all scholars interested in diplomacy and Middle East.
The author, who perfectly speaks Arabic language and has a deep knowledge of the Middle East, co-chaired – together with the US and the UN – Ceasefire and Humanitarian Task Forces on Syria in Geneva. She has covered the conflict from its beginning, often visiting Syria and other countries involved in peace negotiations.

Maria Khodynskaya-Golenischeva used a series of documental sources and enriched her book with her personal experience. After seven years at the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office in Geneva, currently she works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, dealing with Middle East and other issues of international agenda.