It has been over three years since Syria entered its civil war. The ongoing war has divided the country, from the fighting between Secular and Islamist to the conflict between the ethnic groups. Innocent civilians have been killed and civil rights violations are widespread. Cities have been destroyed by bombs and gun fights. According to the United Nation, an estimated number of casualties is well over 100,000. The war has caused 6.5 million Syrian internally displaced personnel. An additional 2.5 million have been exiled to neighboring countries. (Syrian War Takes Devastating Toll on Children).
The country’s current President, Basha al-Assad, succeeded his father (Hafez al-Assad, from 1970 to his death in 2000) to become the youngest president in Syrian history. The Syrian populace had hoped that the young Assad, given his higher education and western associations, would bring change to Syria and lead the country to its “democracy” state. In the early stage of his presidency, Assad promised economic and political reformation. However, with excessive government staffing and corruption, he was incapable of delivering his promise. (Bashar Hafez al-Assad). Nevertheless, he continued his father’s foreign policy, and is reportedly a strong supporter to militant groups such as Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.
Current Events
The Syrian Civil War started from peaceful demonstrations inspired by Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East. On 17 March 2011, a group of teens and children were arrested for writing political graffiti. The arrest ignited violence in Daraa, a city located 100 km south of Damascus in southwestern Syria. Inspired by the successful regime change in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, peaceful pro...
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...er chemical weapons to avoid attack by Dan Friedman, Joseph Straw, Corky Siemaszko. Published: Monday, September 9, 2013. Updated: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/russia-suggests-syria-surrender-chemical-weapons-avoid-attack-article-1.1449839 Syrian War Takes Devastating Toll on Children by Lisa Schlein. VOA World News/Middle East. March 11, 2014 from http://www.voanews.com/content/un-highlights-effects-of-damaging-conflict-on-syrian-children/1868559.html The Syrian National Council: A Victorious Opposition? By Jared Markland, Krittika. May 2012 from https://www.gwu.edu/~imes/assets/docs/Capstone%20Papers%20-%202012/Lalwaney,%20Markland.pdf The US is waging an All-Out Proxy War with Russia in Syria. Business Insider. Geoffrey Ingersoll. January 4, 2013 from
http://www.businessinsider.com/us-proxy-war-russia-syria-2013-1
The war in Syria has been going on for six years now, killing more than a quarter million people and forcing over 10 million people to leave their homes. It has started with a peaceful protest and is now a full on genocide of people dying. The protest was for the arrest and torturing of Syrian teens for the graffiti of their anti government on a wall. When people form other people that were tired of the government saw this, they wanted their president to make major reforms of their democracy. He didn't like that, so he responded with a violent reaction. He killed thousands of Syrians and more from starvation. As the war went on, more people came in to play a role in the war. These people were from many different places. It has gotten so bad that politicians don't know what to do to stop it.
Symonds, Peter. "World Socialist Web Site ." US think tank report weighs up "grim future' of nuclear war (2013).
Moore, Matthew, “Arming the embargoed: a supply-side understanding of arms embargo violations”, Journal of Conflict Resolution (2010) 54 pp. 593-615
There is always that one person that stirs the pot in a situation that could have been solved rather quickly without them interfering. This is exactly what happened in Syria. The Syrian Civil War began when a peaceful protest when a group of teenagers who were writing anti-government graffiti on a wall. Syrian people called on their president who instead of making democratic reforms, acted in extreme violence against unarmed civilians. More than a quarter of a million people in Syria have been killed and over 10 million have been forced out of their homes. The Assad regime continues to suppress their citizens and they have begun using chemical bombs to kill thousands of Syrians and many even
Sectarian conflict has been part of the Middle East since the passing of Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century. The Syrian Civil War has opened up the sectarian conflict within Syria. The growing sectarian conflict in Syria is causing even more problems to the Syrian Civil War. The Syrian Sunni’s anger towards the Alawites is intense and powerful because of the Alawites being responsible for the number of carnages against them. In 1982 a Sunni revolt led by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, confronted Bashar al-Assad’s father, Hafiz al-Assad. Hafiz al-Assad responded with terminating entire neighborhoods, historic landmarks, and non-violent citizens. This did not just subdue the revolt, but led to generational revenge. The Alawites, an offshoot sect of Shia Islam, are headed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Alawite Assad family has controlled Syria for almost 50 years thanks to the loose minority alliance with Christians, Druze, and other various smaller ethnic groups. Syria’s population consists of Sunni Arab’s (around 60 percent); Alawites (about 10-12 percent); Christians (about 10-12 percent); Kurds (around 9 percent); Druze (around 6 percent); and other ethnic minorities. For the most part, the Sunni’s consist of the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian National Council. Captain Ayham al-Kurdi of the Free Syrian Army stated, “Ninety percent of Alawites are with the regime.” Captai...
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Although the United States could cause further problems with Russia and it may be expensive for our government, the United States should continue to be involved in the Syrian civil war. The United States involvement in the war could help young refugees go to school, aid the refugees escaping the war and spread peace throughout Syria.
Response to terrorism. FreeRepublic, LLC, 10 Febuary 2001. Web. 5 Apr. 2014. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/537799/posts.
One of the key factors that fueled violence in the Syrian War was due to foreign influence. In September 2015, airstrikes were inaugurated by both the United States and Russia. These airstrikes were targeted towards terrorists. However, the US and Russia had different views on groups. "Russia includes many US- supported rebels groups in their lists of 'terrorists'" (Document G) The US viewed the Kurdish group as an ally, while Russia viewed them as a terrorist group. Due to the opposing perspectives from both foreign countries on Syrian groups, the conflict of being unsure of who to strike arose. The US attacked who they believed were terrorists while Russia did the same, therefore creating violence all over. The Chart in Document D displays the relationships between foreign countries and Syrian groups. Russia
The authoritarian regimes of the Middles cycled through a pattern of anti-western policy until the globalization effects of economics and information demanded reform. As conservative Arab states try to maintain the autocracy they relied on after gaining independence, their citizens, affected by information and education expansion, challenge their resistant governments as typified by Syria’s unwillingness to capitulate. The proliferation of information and education underscored the protest movements of the Arab Spring because citizens’ contempt for their obstinate governments grew to large under economic pressures, as the current situation in Syria demonstrates.
SUMMARY: The Syrian Civil War between the Syrian government, and the insurgents, as well as the Free Syrian Army has been escalating since early 2011. The United States, and our allies have faced difficulty in sending aid to Syria, and continue to deal with obstacles in sending even basic medications to Syrian civilians. However, the United States and its allies have also contributed to the lack of organization and the disparity in Syria by sending aid and artillery to individuals based only on political connection, and ignoring organization, local alliances, and without a true understanding of the reality of the Syrian localities to best protect the Syrian protestors. The question addressed in this memo will be defining the viable options to be pursued in Syria, how to pursue them, and assessing the most beneficial path of least resistance when offering aid, funds, and artillery to specific groups in the country. The recommendation will be that although the best alternative action item would be to choose a Syrian group with the least oppositional values comparative to the United States to fund, supply with arms, and train; that the United States should do nothing for the time being. Given the physical and financial risk involved with the Syrian Civil War, it would be prudent for the United States to simply observe how the war progresses over the next several months, as well as complete some research to truly understand the state of affairs in local areas of Syria to determine the extent to which the United States could identify a group to provide aid to, as well as the extent to which the United States involvement would be within Syria.
An attack on the Syrian state would fall within the boundaries of the international concept of the responsibility to protect. The crisis in Syria has escalated by protests in March 2011 calling for the release of all political prisoners. National security forces responded to widespread peaceful demonstrations with the use of brutal violence. The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad refused to stop attacks and allow for implementation of the reforms requested by the demonstrators. By July 2011, firsthand accounts emerged from witnesses, victims, and the media that government forces had subjected innocent civilians to detention, torture, and the use of heavy weaponry. The Syrian people were also subjected to the Shabiha, a largely armed state sponsored militia fighting with security forces. Al-Assad continually denied responsibility to these crimes and placed blame on the armed groups and terrorists for these actions.
"IRIN Middle East | SYRIA: Wealth gap widening as inflation hits poor | Syria | Economy." IRIN • humanitarian news and analysis from Africa, Asia and the Middle East - updated daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2012
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"Syrian refugees in Lebanon still suffering." The Economist. N.p., 30 Oct 2014. Web. 20 Jan "The Refugees." New York Times 5 September 2013, n. pag. Print.