Dissecting Syria's ongoing insurgency from three perspectives-focusing on missed opportunities during the 2000s, transnational cyberactivism, and the profound impact of a famous Syrian actress's complex loyalties-the authors of The Syrian Uprising cast light on the underlying causes and early developments of the civil war. The book also includes a presidential advisory committee's memorandum to President al-Assad, revealing the telling gap between the president's famous public claims that the Arab Spring would not spread to Syria and the warnings of brewing troubles that he privately received.