'Inheriting Syria' in the Modern Age

Flynt Leverett's Inheriting Syria: Bashar’s Trial By Fire, describes how Bashar al-Assad has moved into his father's role of leading Syria.

Flynt Leverett is a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. As Syria is prodded to withdraw its troops — and influence — from neighboring Lebanon, the region faces potentially drastic changes.

A veteran expert on Middle East policy — from the National Security Council and the State Department to the CIA — Leverett has also written a new book, Inheriting Syria: Bashar’s Trial By Fire, about Bashar al-Assad's rule of Syria after following his father as the country's leader.