The Roots of Conflict in Syria - Research Paper Example

Introduction This paper is meant to reveal and explain the core of the uprising that is being experienced to-date in the Middle East specifically in Syria. Most of the Arabic countries are to be found in the Middle East. Islamic religion binds the Arabs and the loyalty they have to their religion is bound to exploitation by their leaders. As a result of successive violation of human rights in these countries, most of the Middle East countries have been faced by uprising against their government. Mostly this has resulted from economic constrains and also influence from neighbouring countries leading to a wave of uprising [Gelvin, 40]. Historical background For a long time now there has been a history of violence in Syria. During the 1920- 1930’s, various nationalist movements emerged and took arms against the French rule and the orders that were being imposed on Syrians. National Bloc which was the national party in Syria started to gain thrust. During the Second World War the House of the Elect relocated to Damascus and formed links with various Islamists societies and in the 1944 it grouped itself into Muslim Brotherhood a group affiliated to Egypt. After the defeat of the Syrians in Palestine war, Muslim Brotherhood extended its links to Damascus. Muslim Brotherhood constantly made attacks against the liberals of the National Bloc, and also against other radical groups There were also rivalry attacks between the Islamists and the Baath Regime and coming onto power of the Baath regime led to reorganisation of the Muslim Brotherhood. These were some of the foundation that formed the ground of the currently experienced uprising in Syria. This can be traced back to the year 2000, which is the year that the Israel withdrew from Lebanon. This marks a historic moment in the books of history after a twenty five years struggle between the two countries. The occupation and unsuccessful endeavour to rein Lebanon came to halt. This happened in the year 2000 in the month of June and at the same time Hafez al- Assad a Syrian notorious dictator died. The predetermined calm never lasted for long and within the initial four month of the withdrawal from the territories of the Lebanon another uprising set off. This in effect incapacitated the completed Oslo Accords and transformed the bond between Israel and the Arab people. During the said uprising, ten people died in support of the Palestine [Ajami, 2012 p. 106]. Withdrawing from the territories of the Lebanon was seen as conquest for Hezbollah which had been extorting toll from the IDF by means of guerrilla warfare. Such a move ignited further protests which saw Ehud Barak’s regime departing from Lebanon. After the death of the Assad in the year 2000 the claims for an end to the Syrian presence intensified and on the other side the death of Assad raised their hopes that a change would follow. The regime led by the newly graduate Bashar al–Assad appeared as a figure of transformation and as a mark of new era. However, the fact that this was the son of the dictator who inherited power which was monarchical raised the eyebrows on whether the assumed and forecasted change would really be realised [Wright, 2012 p. 23]. Attempted political coups In early this year (2012), the opposition group in Syria commenced meetings to devise strategies to overthrow the government of Bashar al Assad. The Russian president regarded the meetings as the last chance to bring to an end the long subsisting civil war experienced in Syria. The opposition groups that are against the Baath government are so much divide. There also exist a deep rooted lack of confidence among the Islamists and the non- Islamists groups and this create animosity as between the two faction. In this meeting, there was no congruence of ideology and this lead to some of the groups that were present in the meeting to walk away resulting to lack of consensus on the way forward concerning peace in Syria. The liberal activists affiliated with the rival opposition groups were up in arms against the SNC claiming that they did not consider the fighters on the ground and that had the influence of the western countries [Lawson, 2012 p. 45]. The demonstrations by the Allepo and Damascus in the early 2011 due to being unsatisfied with the government brought about the response of the Muslim Brothers. There were also allegations that from the state officials that, the general overseer al-Shaqfahhad helped to instigate violence. During this time, there were constant attacks by the militias on the Syrian government Before the end of the same year, the locals of the West bank and those of the Gaza Strip were up in arms against the Palestine government. Despite the fact that the Palestine Authority signed the Oslo Accord, the violated it and flouted what they had sworn to uphold. The Palestine infada offered an opening for the demonstrations in Egypt and with the Palestine’s but which were also focussed against Husni Mubarak government. Syria on the other hand and during the same period, opposition groups started to demonstrate and called for the real reforms [Homs, 2012 p. 281]. In the year 2005 there were massive demonstration by the Lebanon’s demanding the Syrians to leave their territories. In the Syria on the other hand there was a movement demanding enforcement of the Damascus declaration and a change of the government. It the Kifiyah and the Damascus declaration which concentrated on the regime and the social difficulties, radically changed preformed and existing ideologies. Currently, Syria stands in confusion Social economic problems This is also another cause of the uprising in Syria. There is persistent drought in Syria due to the devastated farming communities in the part of north eastern of Syria. More than a million people are being faced with hunger from the year 2008. Thousands of the poor farmer families moved to urban areas infesting the widening urban slums. These families directed their anger on the government for the failure to provide incentive and subsidies to boost their farming activities. High population growth in Syria is also another factor that contributes to the uprising in Syria. Due to the high population, pressure builds up on the existing resources. The result is that there is chaos in efforts of every person to sustain one. The trend of the population growth presents a demographic time bomb whose effects are hard to control. The scarcity of jobs continues to build up and most of the people in Syria lack means of survival. There is desperation in the population as the government is unable to handle or control the daily increasing masses of people. Social networking has also an impact and can be regarded as one of the latest causing of the uprising. Most of the people currently are members of the proliferating social networks. It is therefore easy to communicate freely and quickly with masses and influence each other to take arms against the prevailing unfavouring situation. The government efforts to gag people from the rest of the world narrow every day due to the increased technological advancement. The political activist exploits the existence of these social media to pass their message within very short time and to a large number of people. The influence by such messages criticising the government operations forms one of the basis of the uprising not only in Syria but in most parts of the Middle East countries [Homs, 2012 p. 263]. The level of corruption in the government also ignites the minds of the people thereby causing uprising. Syria is listed as in the same group with most of the highest corrupt countries. Syrian government is one of the largest employers and also pays one the most highest hefty of about $ 200- 300 every month. Obviously any person who require favours from the government must be a member of the Baath Party and has also assumed being corresponding source of revenue. Most of the government departments are controlled by the Assad family who exploit their position and force people into bribery for any permit or official document from the government or for some other dealings with the government. Coalition government develop and disperse propaganda to ensure that Bashar government remains in power. Syrians are lured through persuasion that a change of the regime will lead to imperialism of the Israel and colonialism which in effect will lead to disintegration of Syria. Another cause of the uprising is the state violence. This kind of violence is spearheaded by the intelligence service of Syria. The notorious mukhabarat penetrate all spheres of the society. The fear inflicted by the government to the civilians is one factor that makes the Syrians to take the regime as a fact of the life. The brutality that was employed by the security forces in the year 2011 exacerbated the escalation of the uprising. This uprising was mostly initiated through social network. Minority domination The domination of the leadership by one community is another source of violence in Syria. The government is led with dictatorial ideologies; tribalism and nepotism are some of the negative factors that exist in the Syrian government. Majority of Syrian are Sunni Muslim however; the high positions in the security agencies are controlled by the Alawis, a Shiite religious minority. Assad family belongs to this minor community. Many Syrians take splendors on their tradition of religious tolerance, but most of the Sunnis still hate the fact that much of the power is within the hands of few in kind of monarchical regimes. While not a driving force of the Syrian uprising, the mixture of many Sunni dispute movement and Alawi-dominated forces have added to the apprehension in religiously assorted areas, such as the city of [Homs, 2005 p. 288]. External interference Lastly, tension would not have build up in Syria would it not have been for Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street-vendor whose self-immolation in December 2010 triggered a wave of anti-government uprisings across the Middle East. Due to watching the fall of Tunisian and Egyptian regimes in the early 2011 being broadcasted live on the satellite channel Al Jazeera, made millions of people in Syria aware that change was possible for the first time in decades. The discussion above can be explained under different theories of international relations. Among the theories to be taken into account are; socialist theory and realism theory. These theories expound on how the masses result to taking arms. The theories of revolution and its relationship with the Syrian uprising Revolutions together with the colonial revolutions may provide a good basis for the interpretation of theory of the revolution. The dwellers of the countries that experienced colonialism saw the colonialists as people who usurped their rights and powers which once belonged to the people who are revolting in the quest of their power. This should not be taken in their literal understanding but that the power of the people which they had surrendered to some who they refer as leaders should be exercised with probity and propriety. The Syrian government in exercise of its powers tramples on the rights of the people by creating life that is next to unbearable. This has been brought about by the failure of the government to administer its power in the right manner. Members of the government exploit their position to satisfy their personal interests at the expense of the public. They do this through corruption, tribalism and nepotism which are some of the factors that manifest in the Syrian government. Syrian government as it is right now is successive which makes it appear as a monarch. The Syrian president Assad Junior in an effort to protect and advance the interests of his families appoints the government officers through nepotism and tribalism. Most of the key department of the government are headed by the family members of the Assad’s family. Different elites have come up with different ideology in try to define revolution. For instance, Samuel Huntington classified revolution into four categories; - The internal war, -The revolutionary coup, -The reform coup, and -The palace revolution. In the earlier study the internal revolution was what was termed as the mass revolution. This is where the public takes arms against the government and revolt poor and bad leadership. This is caused by some or all the reasons that are highlighted above in this discussion. The revolutionary coup which experienced where there are organised gangs who may or have overthrown the legally elected government. Such revolutions may be out of the different ideologies, influence by some of the powerful countries in the furtherance of their personal interests therefore supporting the adversaries of the government and help them in overthrowing the government [Noam, 2012 p. 29]. The reform coup is based on the ideologies of the majority of the people. In efforts for incorporation of their ideas they reach a dead end and the only way they can express themselves is through the revolution. This revolution is more like the revolutionary coup. The internal war revolution is an exemplification of what is happening in Syria. Citizens are rising against the government thereby creating chaos and civil war between the security personnel’s and the citizens. Socialist theory The insurgencies in the Arabic countries have influenced the effort and imperialism in the world. Masses across the world have arisen against the alienation that they constantly experience and face from their governments. This is epitomised by the frequent demonstration, strikes and movements happening in the Arabic countries. The uprisings have been experienced unevenly in countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya. Some of these uprisings are viewed as purely political instigated and influence of the western countries. Western countries are seen as interfering with making of the policies and the government of these countries. In the midst of violence there are allegations that western countries are in efforts to advance their personal interests, they therefore support different factions either financially or technically to make sure they suppress the factions that are not supporting their ideologies (Samuel, 1981 p. 19). Such described moves have affected the development of Syria while trying to subdue Baath leadership. The results are that group disparity and state of authoritarianism has emerged. This is important to the situation in Syria uprising in its entirety. For instance, during the era of Ben Ali and Mubarak and the Assad government is a representation of a regime that fails to take into account the interests of the Syrian workers. Like in the developed and some of the developing countries, the working class has not been in position to have a bargaining power with their employer. Workers have not been in a position to stand as a group to oppose oppression experienced from their governments. Syria has not fully to a large extent incorporated the international ideologies of the labour organisations (Samuel, 1981 p. 67). Realism theory The international system exists as anarchy. This can be explained by the mere reason that there is no central authority that can be pointed for the international interaction. Out of this fact each and every unit has to safeguard its interests individually. It has been witnessed in the past and currently that some of the countries can use force as against the other, the victim has to employ force to suppress such attacks. This in essence can be regarded as neo-realism (Zamora, 1995 p. 40). Some of the western countries try to suppress this kind of politics as it transgresses the value and dignity of mankind. Hostile realism results to violation of human rights and fundamental freedom thereby creating a society that is unbearable. An epitome of realism was experienced in Tunisia and Egypt which proved the essential of well armed and equipped military forces. This theory is important to the politics and history of Syria due to the interference by the countries like Egypt and other countries in the administration of the Syrian government. Lastly, tension would not have build up in Syria would it not have been for Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street-vendor whose self-immolation in December 2010 triggered a wave of anti-government uprisings across the Middle East. Due to watching the fall of Tunisian and Egyptian regimes in the early 2011 being broadcasted live on the satellite channel Al Jazeera, made millions of people in Syria aware that change was possible for the first time in decades (Zamora, 1995 p. 224). Conclusion Socialist theory tries to explain how politics influence and instigate people into violence. Bad governance, internal and international interference have been demonstrated as some of factors that lure people into conflicts. On the other hand realist theory demonstrates how the international community is not fully in position to tackle the problems that arise in some of the nation. As already seen there, lack a central authority to deal with external interference of some of countries by others. The attacked country in efforts to protect its sovereignty is left with no option but to fight back. Poor leader ship is one of the major things that keep on causing the uprising that are being felt in Syria. Assad Junior being the president of Syria and his ideologies fuel these uprising. For instance, Assad being tribal in the appointment of the officers of the government denies Syrians from being led by people of goodwill whose ideology is not to steal from the Syrians but to offer good leadership. It is out of the above statement that Syria keeps on experiencing constant violence as Syrians are against the government which they see as the cause of their problems. Good leadership requires leaders who will be able to take into account other peoples ideologies otherwise dictatorship would result. If the level of corruption in the government is reduced, and take on board different tribe in the government and according to their merits, then violence would minimise and consequently end. Bibliography Gelvin J. L. (2012), The Arab Uprisings: What Everyone Needs to Know, London: Oxford University Press. Pg 13-115 Ajami F. (2012), The Syrian Rebellion, New York: Hoover Institution Press. Pg 43-80. Wright R. (2012), The Islamists are Coming, Washington: United States Institute of Peace. Pg 69-101. Holms D. (2012), Duthel Intelligence Report, Syria civil war: Syrian uprising – 2011, California: Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. Pg 243-301. Noam Chomsky (2012), Making the Future: Occupations, Interventions, Empire and Resistance, London: City Lights Open Media. P 113-197. Lawson, F.H. (2012), ‘Origin’, Syria’s Islamist Movement And The 2011-12 Uprising. Vol. 5, no.10. Samuel, R. (1981). People’s History and the Socialist Theory. Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Zamora, L. P. (1995). Magical theory Realism: theory, History, Community. Durham: Duke University Press. http://middleeast.about.com/od/syria/tp/Syrian-Uprising.htm > accessed on 1st December, 2012. Read More