Today, Syria faces a serious crisis. The country that once boast diversity is now engaged in a civil war bloodier than any war in history. Millions have been displaced and nearly a quarter million have died. The civil war initially rose as an Arab Spring. Arabs across the Middle East were seeking a democratic society. However, with the rule of the al-Assad family in Syria, violence is dominant and the country rests in a blood bath.
History of Syria
Originally, Syria consisted of a large amount of land that is now many countries today, including Syria itself, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. The country has always been a “crossroads for commerce and a battleground” for the rise and fall of many dynasties and empires. The culture of Syria reflected diversity as early as medieval times. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, Hittites, Persians, Aramseans, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Mongols, Turks and Byzantines, as well as the British and French, all contribute to the history of Syria. Each had either sought for control of Syria or actually held control of the empire for a period of time.
Syria had always been a hub of diversity. Syria was a significant center for Christianity prior to yielding to Muslim rule. Many different religious groups of people reside throughout Syria today including Christians, Muslims, Kurds and Jews, among others. During the Ottoman Empire, Syria existed more as provinces with major cities rather than a nation state. The significant cities included Damascus, Aleppo and Dayr az-Zor. Each province respected the religious differences of others and the areas thus developed a “rich, diverse, and tolerant social tradition”.
Ebla was the first great city in Syria. It is believed that this city was expansive and culture with its own language and extensive writings. Upon destruction of the city of Ebla, the Amorites took control who were then overthrown by the Egyptians. Many other conquerors followed the Egyptians until the rule by the Ottoman Empire which began in 1516 and ended in 1918.
The Ottoman Empire allied with Germany and Austria during World War I, and as a result of defeat in the war, Syria became divided between Britain and France. France attempted to separate Syria into various divisions, however, this failed and France then attempted to unify the area. For twenty-six years, the French ruled the area with great strife and violence underpinning its attempt to change the culture of the area.
Syrians often protested against the French rule. Nationalism rose and the French were finally forced out of Syria, and the country began to seek its own statehood. The French withdrew its last forces from Syria in 1946. As an independent nation, Syria struggled to gain political stability. The government was overthrown by many military coup d’états during the late 1940’s and 1950’s. Political unrest was constant in Syria. The Baath Arab Socialist Party took control in a 1963 coup. Significant changes were made by the Baath party. Parliament was dissolved and a regime was created. Yet, fighting with Israel continued. Significant internal strife also continued. In 1971, Syria elected Hafez al-Assad as president..
History of al-Assad family
During the reign of the al-Assads, Syria had made considerable economic progress. The GDP of residents nearly the same as neighboring Jordan and much larger than other neighboring countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen. However, its GDP was significantly smaller than that of Iran, Turkey and Lebanon. The literacy rate also was significantly higher during the al-Assad rule, comparable to Iran, Libya and Saudi Arabia. The many social and political issues facing the regime led to an uprising. These issues included the lack of political participation by Syrians, the fear of the citizens to make public demands upon the regime, and the tyrannical police measures imposed on the citizens.
Hafez al-Assad was a native Syrian raised in a poor neighborhood. He enlisted in the Syrian Air Force and advanced through the ranks to become a lieutenant. Following the coup of 1963, Hafez became leader of the Syrian Air Force. Three years later, he became the minister of defense for Syria. After overthrowing the armed forces chief of staff in 1970, he became prime minister of Syria, and later was elected president.
Upon taking power in 1971, Hafez al-Assad hoped to create an authoritarian regime. He served as president of Syria for thirty years. Assad was an Alawi, a minority group that believed themselves to be the chosen people of Muslim, yet classified as heretics by those who are who are Orthodox Muslim. Assad was also a member of the Baath Party. The Baath Party originated in France. Under Hafiz al-Assad’s rule, political parties that opposed the Baath party were banned as was any criticism of the al-Assad regime. Strict censorship was also imposed throughout the country. Hafez’s reign consisted of eliminating political dissenters. The Muslim Brotherhood was a large opposition force that opposed the al-Assad regime. . The Muslim Brotherhood rebelled against the al-Assad government in 1982, and the response by the regime was the killing of over 20,000 people and nearly the destruction of the city of Hama.
Hafiz al-Assad also sought to expand Syria and participated in the establishment of the Federation of Arab Republics with Egypt and Libya, however, this federation only lasted five years. The participants in this federation were Anwar Sadat and Muammar Gaddafi. The intention of the federation was to accomplish a union, this never occurred. Hafez, however, continued to seek alliances as he supported Iran and the elimination of the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Upon the death of Hafez al-Assad, Syria was shifting its alliance and forming ties with Iraq.
After the death of Hafiz al-Assad in 2000, his son, Bashar al Assad, became president. Many had not expected Bashar to follow his father’s political footsteps, as he was an educated ophthalmologist and had no intention of entering politics until the death of his older brother. Bashar had initially been seen as a possible reformer of Syria after first becoming president . However, he continued the brutality of his father’s regime. This resulted in the spread of protests throughout Syria, as part of the Arab Spring that first arose in Tunisia.
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring is the pro-democracy movement that began at the end of 2010 in the Middle East. The movement consisted of demonstrations and protests and quickly spread across several countries, including Syria. The movement arose against the dictatorship regimes and corrupt leaders in the Middle East. The movements were not initiated by single leaders and they demanded complete change in the regimes.. The uprising began in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring with protests and hunger strikes. These were pro-democracy demonstrations. Although peaceful protests were the initial intent, violence erupted as the government took up arms against the protestors. Soon, the protects became nationwide and demands for the resignation of President al-Assad were made. Before the conflict began, Syrians faced unhappiness under the control of Bashar al-Assad. Corruption, repression, and high unemployment were prevalent.
The response by the government to the protestors was violence. Beatings and killings of protestors occurred and government security forces were firing on crowds of protestors. The al-Assad government promised political reforms but protests continued, the government was claiming that the protests were the result of foreign conspiracies, and continued its violent response. The violence became an international human rights concern and many foreign leaders were asking for an immediate end to the violence.
The al-Assad government continued to deploy armed troops to silence the protestors. At one point, the government shut down communications, as well as water and electricity in some cities. In response, the European Union imposed sanctions on Syrian officials. Many interventions were attempted by foreign powers. These interventions, as well as the fostering of sectarianism and the building of jihadist groups added fire to the civil war.
The war continues as a result of attempted interventions by the United States, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia. These countries have supported one side or the other both politically and financially which has enabled the fighting to continue. The fostering of sectarianism has also enabled the civil war to continue. The Sunni majority of Syria is opposed to al-Assad’s Alawite sect.
Jihadist groups have also taken their own sides in the civil war as well. The Islamic State or ISIS is one such jihadist group in Syria. The Islamic State has taken advantage of the civil war and has taken control over areas of Syria . Airstrikes on ISIS have been occurring since 2015. Not only do these airstrikes damage ISIS, but they also have a significant effect on civilians in Syria .
Crisis in Syria
The effects of the Civil War in Syria is the current crisis being faced by the nation. Nearly a quarter million Syrians have either been killed in the violence of the civil war, and more than 11 million have been forced to leave their homes as a result of the civil war . These survivors are either displaced inside Syria or are fleeing to Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and Europe. Humanitarian assistance is needed for these people in Syria as they face extreme poverty, lack of food, water and education. However, the al-Assad regime and the opposition will not allow humanitarian agencies into the country to assist these civilians.
The fighting in Syria is constant and now involves several organizations, not only the initial protestors and the government. Because of the extent of involvement, the crisis has only escalated. Regime opponents such as the Syrian National Council and the Free Syrian Army, as well as the regimes National Security Forces use extensive violence have substantially harmed the civilian community of Syria. War crimes and crimes against humanity are being alleged to occur by these organizations against civilians.
The tactics used by the National Security Forces, al-Assad’s military, have included firing artillery upon civilians that are unarmed, campaigning door to door in the cities to make arrests, killing of medical staff attempting to aid the wounded, and raiding hospitals to destroy medical supplies. The regime has also cut off communications by social media. Other criminal acts of the regime include torture, murder, sexual violence and rape as well as arbitrary detention. Chemical weapons are also being used by the government. There have even been reports that starvation has been used as a source of violence to obtain submission. These crimes have been determined to be crimes against humanity and have resulted in a crisis in Syria created by the al-Assad regime.
In addition to the crisis created by the government in Syria, many other organizations contribute to the predicament. The Free Syrian Army has killed, captured and tortured civilians. Other opposition groups have also reportedly killed extra judicially and have used chemical weapons. This has placed enormous pressure on the civilians of Syria. Most attempt to leave the nation but face problems with being a refugee as many countries have already taken a limited amount into their lands.
Today, Syria faces a serious crisis. The country that once boast diversity is now engaged in a civil war bloodier than any war in history. Millions have been displaced and nearly a quarter million have died. The civil war initially rose as an Arab Spring. Arabs across the Middle East were seeking a democratic society. However, with the rule of the al-Assad family in Syria, violence is dominant and the country rests in a blood bath.
References
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