The author of the book “Syria: Neither Bread Nor Freedom” gives us a sketch of the political history of the one of the contemporary’s world greatest tragedies, and the narrative of how the dismally short “Damascus Spring” has since given way to the long winter we are seeing unfold on our screens. He walks us through the establishment of the Assad family as the core of a regime that turned its back on a chance of reform in the early 2000s, and the death and displacement that followed in the wake of their brutal crackdown. George also provides a brief overview of the destabilising effect of the Iraq War, and we discuss the importance of regional intervention in preserving the story of Syria.