Research paper
At the moment there is an armed confrontation between Syrian government forces and rebels, which due to the size, duration and the number of victims can be characterized as a civil war. Sunni country is ruled by the Alawite minority, headed by the Assad dynasty that does not suit to the majority of the population. Government forces consist of the Army and numerous intelligence services; they are also supported by Hezbollah and the so-called terrorist group "Shabiha". The governing body of the rebels is the Syrian National Council and Free army of Syria.
There are three real reasons that laid the foundations of the Syrian crisis: socioeconomic, religious and political. The first is quite clear - the standard of living and the economic situation in the country leaves much to be desired. The situation in Damascus, Aleppo and other cities is fundamentally better, which creates social tensions. As for religious reasons - the situation is much more complicated. The current war is called a war between Muslims of different directions - Sunnis and Shiites. Sunnis are the majority in Syria - two-thirds of the population. There are also 12% of Alawite, the branch of Shia, to which belongs the ruling elite; 10% of Christians and other religions. Assad has long been able to keep the peace between Sunnis, Shiites and Christians. But the protests awakened religious hostility not only inside Syria, but also in the region. The enemies of Assad are supported by the Sunni monarchies of the Persian Gulf and the Palestinian terrorists of "Hamas"; Assad – by Shiite Iran and Lebanese terrorists from "Hezbollah." The third reason is connected with the promise of Assad to provide greater freedom to political parties, as well as to lift the ban on the activities of the movement "Brothers –Muslims”. However, efforts of Assad were unsuccessful.
Syrian crisis could be qualified as part of the "Arab Spring", reasons which were internal factors, namely, aggravation of the social and economic crisis, corruption and nepotism of the ruling elite ruled for decades, the absence of real democratic freedoms, etc.
Despite internal problems, the main factor destabilizing the situation in the country is the external aspect. Some external forces are trying to influence Syrian crisis in order to achieve their goals. Russia is trying to prevent Qatar and Saudi Arabia to become an alternative to the European energy market. If Russia loses its influence in Syria, this will result in serious loss of markets to competitors from the Gulf countries. It is no secret that Europe is currently dependent on Russian gas supplies - especially in winter. Qatar and Saudi Arabia has long been planning to build a pipeline that will run from the Persian Gulf to Turkey. If this happens, Russia may get a really strong competitor - especially on such an important European market.
The U.S. and its allies are trying to change the regime in Damascus. April 1, 2012 in Istanbul a meeting of so-called "Friends of Syria" was opened. Around 70 countries, whose representatives participated in the meeting, announced sanctions against Syria, and recognized the political leadership of militants - Syrian National Council as "the sole representative of the Syrian people." Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Arab Gulf countries provide basic material and technical assistance to the opposition, imposing on the regime all the blame for the conflict. All the BRICS countries - Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Iran and a number of Latin American countries are against violent change of power, they advocate for the solution of the future of Syria only through negotiations between authorities and opposition. Russian and Chinese veto on the UN Security Council resolution doesn’t allow the Syrian situation develop by the Libyan scenario and prevents any foreign military intervention in the Syrian conflict. Nevertheless, support for the rebels from outside and aspiration of the U.S. and its allies for a military solution of the conflict threaten the possibility of a peaceful resolution.
The overthrow of Syrian current government will lead to the rise of power of Islamists and to growth of repression, violence and instability. Apparently, only government of this country together with the community can resolve the conflict in Syria. Unfortunately, the ability of the international community in this case is quite limited, but it should do everything to facilitate this. The West should stop its policy of double standards in relation to the parties of the conflict; cease any support for the rebels, and, although the Syrian authorities' repressive methods cause concern, enable them to restore order in the country. Ultimately, the repression of the legitimate authorities is better than the same repression of militants - Islamists.
Works cited
CBC News. Syria’s civil war: key facts, important players. (24 December 2013). http://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/syria-dashboard/
What's happening in Syria and will the violence end? (12 December 2013). http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16979186
Alex Spillius. Syrian crisis explained: Q&A. (14 June 2013).
Primoz Manfreda. Syrian Civil War. The Flight from the Middle East. 2012. Print.
Ferry de Kerckhove. THE SYRIAN CRISIS: WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WORLD? (December 2012).
