Head and Heart

Third World body politics come in all sizes and shapes. Often they resemble side-show giants, with the heads of state far removed from the hearts of the people. In Syria, President Hafez al-Assad is leaning desperately toward the Soviet Union in hopes that the Russians will be able to shore up his tottering government, while far away the mass of his people incline toward the United States.

Israel is only one of Assad’s troubles. Much of his army is hopelessly stuck in Lebanon. To the east, Iraqi concepts of manifest destiny clash with Assad’s view of “greater Syria.” In the north, the Kurds are restless. At home, Sunni Moslems, some 70 per cent of the population, have become disgusted with governmental corruption and the favoritism shown Alawi Moslems, the sect to which Assad and the leading military figures of his regime belong and which constitutes only 10 to 12 per cent of the population.

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About the Author

Samuel Pickering Jr.

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Third World body politics come in all sizes and shapes. Often they resemble side-show giants, with the heads of state far removed from the hearts of the people. In Syria, President Hafez al-Assad is leaning desperately toward the Soviet Union in hopes that the Russians will be able to shore up his tottering government, while far away the mass of his people incline toward the United States.

Israel is only one of Assad’s troubles. Much of his army is hopelessly stuck in Lebanon. To the east, Iraqi concepts of manifest destiny clash with Assad’s view of “greater Syria.” In the north, the Kurds are restless. At home, Sunni Moslems, some 70 per cent of the population, have become disgusted with governmental corruption and the favoritism shown Alawi Moslems, the sect to which Assad and the leading military figures of his regime belong and which constitutes only 10 to 12 per cent of the population.