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Slack.com slash DHQ. This is CBS Eye on the World with John Bachelors. Here's John Bachelors.

This is CBS Eye on the World. I'm John Bachelors. I welcome David McCloskey, the author of a

work of fiction, a novel, Damascus Station. It is a story of entry involving state security

in the United States, state security in the Middle East, especially Syrian state security,

Mukbaarat. However, this is based upon historical events that in these last years have become

more and more tragic. So we begin with David's presentation of the conditions where he

puts his characters in and asks them to solve puzzles that are still unavailable to all

of us in the tragedy of the darkness visible of Syria. Millions have fled. Hundreds

of thousands may be dead. Assad remains at the palace in Damascus. This is a story

of what was possible early in the turmoil, early in the collapse of Syrian sovereignty. David,

congratulations and a very good evening to you. Your hero, protagonist, Sam Joseph is

a CIA officer, covert officer. He is plunged into the conditions in Syria. He knows this

very well. He's a veteran. So let us introduce what Sam knows he's up against when he arrives

in Damascus at the CIA operations in Damascus. Bashar al-Assad, what is he as your novel

opens and what is his ambition, his contest as your novel opens? Good day to you, David.

John, thank you so much for having me. Great to be here talking with everyone and you

about the massastation. The book starts in page one. It says it's the early years of

...