The Grey Revolution

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Recommended: Syrian civil war since Arab spring

The Arab Spring was a period of many revolutions across Arabia and Northern Africa. The Arab Spring brought about rapid change to many countries, for better or for worse (“Syrian Civil”). Syria is among these countries, but the revolution in Syria is unlike the ones seen in the other Arab countries. The revolution in Syria is not black and white, like the other countries, but grey. Heroes and villains are difficult to identify with the wrongdoing and bloodshed on both sides. The regime and rebellion’s actions are not black and white; nevertheless, they have shaped Syria and several others in the Arabian Peninsula and around the world (“Syrian Civil”).
To understand the Syrian revolution and Bashar al-Assad, we must look to Bashar’s father, Hafiz al-Assad. Hafiz al-Assad, a military leader, took control of the country in 1970, and ruled until his death (Lesch 1823). Syrians have fearful memories of government crackdown and Hafiz al-Assad’s zero tolerance for rebellion (Gritten, Rodgers, Macguire). In 1982, Bashar’s father bulldozed and fired artillery at a town where a small uprising occurred. In the 1990s, Hafiz al-Assad’s health was failing, which prompted him to start training his eldest son, Basil al-Assad. However, Basil was killed in a car accident, making Bashar next in line for power. Hafiz died in 2000, which led to Bashar taking the Presidential Office shortly after (Lesch 1823). Many looked up to Bashar as hope for a democratic Syria. Because of Bashar’s earlier policies, Syria remained immune to the Arab Spring (“What Next”). He was an ally of Iran and publicly supported local militant groups (Gritten, Rodgers, Macguire). Before the 2011 revolution, there were many instances of Bashar bargaining with oth...

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...ped Syria and countries around it forever, but when two grey sides fight each other, could it be a war fought against themselves? The Syrian Revolution may be just that, a war that cannot be won.

Works Cited

Gritten, David, and Rodgers, Lucy, and Macguire Emily. “Syria: The Story of the Conflict”. BBC News Middle East. BBC. 13 March 2014. Web. 24 March 2014.
Kaplan, Seth. “Seven Scenarios for the Future of Syria”. Global Dashboard. 27 August 2013. Web. 24 March 2014.
Lesch, David W. Syria: The fall of the House of Assad. Great Britain. Yale University Publications, 2013. Web. 14 March 2014.
“Syrian Civil Unrest.” Global Issues in Context Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Gale Global Issues in Context. Web. 17 March 2014.
“What Next for Syria?” New York Times. 19 February 2014. Global Issues in Context. Web. 17 March 2014.

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