The Syrian Crisis is an armed dispute that is currently happening between pro-government and anti-government factions in Syria. It started on March 2011 following the emergence of protests across North Africa and the Middle East. As the crisis unfolded, a lack of strategic organization and leadership in the anti-government forces has led to in-fighting among various factions of the group. This paper seeks to summarize the ongoing Syria uprising.
Syria has not had a democratic form of government for a long time. For instance, it was under emergency rule for about 48 years until 2011. During this time, public gatherings for more than five people were prohibited. There was pronounced violation of rights of expression, assembly and association and, where allowed, these rights were strictly controlled.
Further, there was increased discontentment among the majority of Syrians. This was even more pronounced among the Sunni majority ethnic group. Poverty conditions prevailing in many rural areas worsened socioeconomic imbalance in Syria. These conditions deteriorated the standard of living among the majority of Syrians; leading to the genesis of the Syrian uprising.
The uprising was aimed at advocating for democratic and economic reforms within government. However, the government responded violently; killing thousands of civilians. Syrians then resorted to arm themselves and fight to protect themselves. The situation has seen terrorist groups join in the war in pursuit of their vested interests.
Any given government has a moral and legal obligation to protect its people and their interests. Democracy and the rule of law should always prevail. If the Syrian government had acted with less force in addressing the issues raised by its people, the crisis in Syria would not have escalated this much.
