Saul, Samir <br/><br/>
Colonial boundaries and nation building in Syria during the Mandatory period: French views on the follow-up of the Sykes-Picot agreement (1916-1938) 

 -  2015.<br/>							 
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<br/><br/> The Sykes-Picot Agreement is often mentioned in the context of the war being waged in Syria since 2011. A country of many religions, Syria is faced with the possibility of a breakup that may redraw the borders defined by the Agreement. As for the American plan of a “Greater Middle East”, it would gerrymander the region along religious lines. Just after this article was written, jihadist elements burst into Northern Iraq, underscoring the challenges faced by states in the region. Mandate Syria is a multi-confessional and multi-ethnic entity evolving toward nationhood. Yet it is governed according to religious and ethnic criteria. This article looks into the contradiction inherent in French policy. On the one hand, that policy strives to formally include as many people as possible within the bounds of Syria. On the other, it strives to segment the inhabitants on the basis of community and faith. The article focuses on the views expressed by the French press on this vexing problematic.