The twenty-first century continues to be underlined by war and terrorism. The history of humanity seems to stick to the war narrative. Numerous conflicts and wars have been witnessed from different places around the world. One of the most dominant conflicts within the mainstream media is that of Syria. The country has been at war for the last five years following the violence that was used to quell democracy protests in 2012. The war was as a result of protests all over the country in rebellion against the leadership of President Assad. The conflict has resulted in the death of over a quarter-million people since its onset. To better understand the Syrian political situation, this essay will use Peter Blau’s Theory of Social Exchange to provide an in-depth analysis.
The Syrian conflict began as protests for democracy in the southern city of Derra, following the torture of teenagers who had painted revolutionary slogans on the school wall. What followed was the death of several demonstrators who died from the shots fired by the security forces.
However, faced with the prospect of military intervention from the United States, the president agreed to destroy the country’s chemical weapons. By the year 2014, the armed rebellion had managed to evolve significantly, more so because the rebellion had become divided along sectarian lines with the Sunni majority pitching camp against the Shia Alawite (Erlich, 2014). Islamists and jihadists have long been drawn into the war bringing therefore along brutal tactics. The Islamic State went on to capitalize on the enraging chaos and took control of large ` areas in Iraq and Syria.
On September of 2014, the United States led other nations in carrying out air strikes in areas that were reportedly under the control of the Islamic State. However, there was a dilemma owing to the fact both warring parties could be accused of war crimes. The coalition, therefore, aimed at avoiding attacks that would be of benefit to the regime of Assad. The political arena of Syria depicts a deeply divided country with the alliances on both ends battling for supremacy. The international community on the other hand, through the United States, has only proposed a political solution to a problem that seems to have no clear winner.
World powers around the world have been drawn into a proxy war. To understand the depth of the ongoing political events, Blau’s theory offers an insightful framework. The theory by Blau, Social Exchange, is based on a number of assumptions. One of the assumptions is that the greatest form of gratification for human beings arises from the group that they are part of. For this fact then, the analysis of a person will be largely influenced by the groups. It also asserts that people who are engaged in various interactions, rationally desire to attain the most benefits (Cook & Emerson, 1986). Another assumption held by the theory is that proximity is the distance between a person and their goal.
The concept of the power, from the perspective of the theory, is a tool that allows a person to be able to exert influence and control over the behavior of another. Based on his theory of Social Exchange, the division of the opposing political parties can be looked at as a desire from both sides to benefit and not face the punishment. The current regime in power understands that it has to win; otherwise, the rebels and the Islamists groups are likely to win. For both sides, a win to any side means a huge loss of power and position (Delaney, 2016).
This is a threat both to the individual and to the group. For an individual that supports either side of the war, each expects a specific profit or benefit form a win by their side. In as much as both sides may want the war to come to an end, both sides have to make sure that they are on the winning side otherwise there is no win. Each side is trying to escape the possible punishment that may be implored of the losing side. According to a United Nations report of 2014, both sides had been accused of committing war crimes.
Incidences of murder, rape, and torture have been reported from both sides, and this means the losing side will have to face the punishment. Each of the parties, rebel groups, government, and Islamists hope to emerge from the war with the supremacy. The political system of Syria, as such, can be seen as a battle for supremacy and power. Each side does not want to avoid the consequences of the losing, and thus, the war is endlessly perpetuated. Therefore, the other external players participating in the war are drawn into a proxy war because the internal players are not ready for a solution anytime soon. Blau’s Social Exchange Theory offers the best insight of understanding why the war has taken so long, and why it is not about to end anytime soon.
References
Cook, K. S., & Emerson, R. M. (1986). Social exchange theory. Beverly Hills, Calif: SAGE Publications
Delaney, T. (2016). Classical and contemporary social theory: Investigation and application. Routledge.
Erlich, R. (2014). Inside Syria: The backstory of their civil war and what the world can expect. Prometheus Books.
