Tsarist Russia in Greater Syria

Tsarist Russia in Greater Syria

Defending Orthodox Interests 1825 - 1917

Category: History
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Format
Paperback, 112 pages
Published
Nov 8, 2024
ISBN
9781942699590
Status
Active
Dimensions
8.5 in x 5.5 in
Weight
235 grams
Country of Manufacture
US
Format
EPUB, 104 pages
Published
Nov 5, 2024
ISBN
9781942699583
Status
Active
Dimensions
8.5 in x 5.5 in
Country of Manufacture
US

— About the Book —

Syria has garnered international news headlines since the Civil war that began in 2011. Foreign intervention has been a major aspect of that conflict and attention has been drawn particularly to that of Russia. Current events can be better understood when examined with an understanding of the history that precedes them. This book illuminates a particular part of the history of the region by examining the legacy of the Russian Empire's activities in the Near East in the century before World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution. Motivated by feelings of kinship between Orthodox communities, the Russian Empire played a key role in the Eastern Mediterranean, from conflicts such as the Greek War of Independence and the Crimean War to ecclesial matters such as supporting the birth of a native Arabic-speaking hierarchy for the Church of Antioch. Particular attention is drawn to  the establishment of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in the Holy Land whose philanthropic actions ranged from building schools, hospitals, and churches, to giving material aid to native clergy, and assisting pilgrims. The author shows that the deep historic and religious ties binding these regions together have not dissipated since that time, but continue to influence the Russian state's foreign policy to this day.

— Author Biography —

Najib Elias Saliba is Professor Emeritus of History and Political Science at Worcester State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern  History from the University of Michigan. A native of Lebanon, Dr. Saliba maintains deep ties to the Levant, while making his home in Massachusetts. He is the author of  Emigration from Syria and the Syrian-Lebanese Community of Worcester  and  co-author, with Metropolitan PHILIP (Saliba), of Broken Promises and White House Meetings.

— Excerpt —

Foreword - Very Rev. Thomas Zain:

This concise, but comprehensive book outlining the role the Russian Empire played in Greater Syria prior to World War I (1914-1918) provides valuable historical information to help in understanding both today’s geopolitical situation as well as that at the turn of the previous century. Dr. Saliba outlines both the political and religious motives behind Russia’s protection and patronage of the Orthodox Christians of Greater Syria prior to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II in 1917, as well as the decline of this patronage after subsequent fall of the Russian Empire to a godless, atheistic regime that would last 70 years. This patronage, unlike patrons of other religious groups such as France and the United States, would insist upon embracing the culture and language of the indigenous people. The result was some of the greatest Arabic writers and poets of the last century, most of whom were Christians. Such people would later spark the Arabic language renaissance and the Pan-Arab movement.

Fast-forward 70 years later,  after the fall of the Soviet Union and what do we find? We will find that Russia has once again used this historical and religious connection in the Middle East, and especially in modern-day Syria, to protect not only its own geo-political interests, but the Orthodox Christians of the area as well.

For the United States to fully comprehend the nature of the relationship of Russia with the countries of the Levant, we must fully comprehend the importance of the historical and present-day role of Orthodox Christianity in Russia in particular, and the importance of religion in the Middle East in general. While the latter is usually considered by those forming government policy, the former is usually ignored in Washington D.C. altogether. The result is a misguided policy in the Middle East and an unfounded mistrust of all things “Russian”. To illustrate this point, just recently when speaking about U.S. policy toward Russia, retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor eloquently said, “This is not the Soviet Union. This is Russia. A Russian State that rests on the foundation of Orthodox Christianity - it’s back to what it had been for 1,000 years. We should celebrate that, not destroy it.”

 

— Contents —

Foreword

  1. Russia’s Interests in Greater Syria Before World War I
  1. Political, Economic, and Military Interests
  1. Russian Pilgrims

    4. The Battle over Greater Syria

  1. Education in Greater Syria
  1. The Impact of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society

Appendix: Missionary Activity and Imperialism

Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Index