The Roots of Conflict in Syria - Essay Example

Trace the Roots of Conflict in Syria. Which Theory of International Relations Can Be Applied to Understand this Conflict? Justify Your Answer Table of Contents Introduction 3 Root Causes of Conflicts in Syria 4 Theories of Realism of International Relations 5 Liberalism and International Society 6 Conclusion and Recommendations 8 References 10 Introduction International relations signify the group interactions taking place in the international community that comprise the nations and the states, various inter-governmental firms along with different forms of non-governmental organisations. It is a public policy that tends to pay due attention towards the association among the various members belonging to the international system. It comprises the associations among the countries, various governmental and non-governmental organisations. It generally considers the comprehension of the ways in which the external world impacts the lives of the individuals. It further facilitates to explain the ways in which an individual’s decisions have an influence upon other countries and people. International relations are considered to be a new as well as invigorating discipline and are considered to be the study of politics at the international, regional as well as global level. Although international relations are considered to be a modern field, it has gained importance in the present world owing to the term globalisation. It is a well known fact that positive international relations assist in stimulating effectual trade policies among nations. It is via international relations that determine the needs and the limitations of cross-border trade. International relations not only concentrate about reporting as well as monitoring the flow of activities or goods and services, they also serve as an important strategy for stimulating the growth of the human culture. It can be mentioned that the diversity in the culture of the world can be endorsed as well as shared via enlightened international relations policies (BBC News, 2012). The chief objective of the paper is to comprehend the main reasons behind the conflicts taking place in Syria. It shall also endeavour to identify the ways in which the theories of international relations can be applied effectively to comprehend the conflicts. The theory of realism shall be studied in details since it relates to the scenario of Syria. The study shall also take into account two different theories of international relations such as liberalism as well as international society and comprehend the ways in which they do not relate to the scenario of Syria. Root Causes of Conflicts in Syria It has been recognised that an increasing number of people have died because of the conflicts that had occurred between the President Bashar al-Assad’s government as well as the revolutionary troops wanting him out (The Economist, 2011). As per the views of the International Red Cross, it has been stated that the violence taking place in Syria has become so severe that it was nearly in the position of civil war. It can be stated that the issue began in the year 2011 in the city of Syria named as Deraa (Broning & et. al., 2011). 15 school children were detained because they wrote few anti-government graffiti upon the wall. At the outset, it was noted that the protests began with peace, demanding release of the kids along with democracy as well as freedom of the people of the country. However, it was noted that the government responded in a furious way. Armies opened fire on the protestors which killed several people (BBC News, 2012). The local people of the country were quite angry and the violence had spread to other parts of the world. Initially, people wanted democracy as well as autonomy in the country to take place. However, as the security forces commenced firing, the Syrians wanted Bashar al-Assad to resign from his post (Qabbani & Fox, 2012). It can be analysed that the most significant reasons behind the conflict in Syria had been the increasing discontent taking place among the younger generation without prospects. According to the population census in the year 2004, 61.4% of the female as well as 61.7% of the male population of Syria belonged to the age of 24. Furthermore, it was also noted that near about 35% of the young people who belonged to the age group of 20 and 25 years did not have any job. Among the individuals belonging to the age of 25 and 29 years it was noted that the total number of job seekers was nearly 18%. It is apparent from the figures above that the labour bureau neglected the unemployment rate which is considered to be one of the social conflicts (Kilo, 2012). Owing to the unstable association taking place between the Alevi religious minorities along with the Assad clan, there is a connection between social as well as religious conflicts. It can be mentioned that Alevi party members had a significant role to play in case of government administration. Along with it, Kurdish as well as the representation of other tribe’s and the non -party members was positioned in high ranking government posts. However, the political attempts made by the administration of Syria in order neutralise the power of the Assad clan were not capable of addressing the internal social conflicts. It can be stated that the coercive power that has been practiced by the security forces has also been considered as a source of social conflict. Along with it, greater number of refugees arriving into Syria from the Palestinian territories as well as Iraq did not obtain the opportunity to get employment which increased the social tensions in the country (Landis, 2012). Hence, it is apparent from the study above that the root causes of conflicts taking place in Syria have been social tensions in the country, political instability as well as poor international relations with various neighbouring countries. Theories of Realism of International Relations For the purpose of comprehending the Syrian conflict, the theory of realism belonging to the international relations can be effectively applied. Realism is not a theory which is generally defined by a collection of assumptions as well as propositions. Realism can be determined as one of the most significant approaches related to international relations, which has evolved via the efforts made by the group of analysts who have represented themselves within the distinctive styles of analysis. The realism theory of international relations states the fact that the states of every nation attempts at attaining power so that they can shield themselves from foreign attacks. It also considers the structure of the international system as the required explanation for various aspects of the international relations. As per the views of the classical realists, when the central authority is absent during the times of settling disputes then it is considered to be one of the essential features of the modern system. It further gives rise to the security related issues. Realism theories often perceive conflict as a natural state of situations instead of a consequence that can take place because of the historical circumstances. The concepts related to political realism can be recognised to be a theory in the context of international relations. It states the aspect that international politics is a lawless system comprising competitions and conflicts between the states that practice their own self-interests and hence struggle in order to obtain power against each other. They tend to ignore any sort of reference in relation to ethical norms or moral values (Griffiths & O’Callaghan, 2002). It is apparent from the analysis mentioned above that the realist theory aims at describing the international relations with reference to the power instead of morality. It does not consider polygonalism or international cooperation where the independent actions tend to be sufficient. Syria has sought numerous dictatorships prior to the Ba’th era. The Syrians did not see any period of democracy as well as freedom (Center for Strategic Research, 2012). The citizens of the country have perceived the presence of greater number of dictatorships in their country which demonstrates the existence of realism in the country (Dam, 2011). Furthermore, it has been identified that because Syria has been the centre of attraction of the United States imperialism, the two Arab countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia along with Turkey aims at weakening the position of Syria. It was further found that during the evolution of the anti-government protests in Syria, the US imperialism along with the regional as well as the local backers took the opportunity to initiate the destabilisation campaign known as “tried and true”. In lieu of this fact, Syrians were found to be furious viewing the influence of neoliberal reforms. The reason behind the anger was that the reform weakened national production, enhanced the rate of unemployment. It further led to social and economic differences between the various citizens of the country (Qabbani & Fox, 2011). Liberalism and International Society Liberalism is considered to be a concept that has been based upon the hope that when reason and worldwide principles are applied to the international relations, the result would be an orderly and cooperative world (Richarson, 2002). It can further be defined as a hypothetical view that pays due attention towards the interdependence among the various actors of the states as well as sub-states as one of the most significant aspects of the international system. Liberalism in contrast to the realism theory of international relations states the aspect that there is a greater possibility of global cooperation and hence focus can be provided beyond power politics. Furthermore, as per the assumptions of liberals, it can be recognised that both peace as well as collaboration among the states can be quite beneficial for all (The Fletcher School, 2006). On the other hand, the international society also referred as the liberal realism states the fact that there is a community of states at the global level even in the absence of anarchy. It further reveals the notion that idea tends to mould the operation of international politics which further deserves evaluation. States tend to share mutual interests furthering the development of a set of rules (Suazo, 2012). It can be analysed from the study that Syria does not have mutual relations with most of the countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United States among others. For instance, Arab League stopped issuance of Syrian membership which broke off a non-reliable peace agreement with the Assad era that wanted a culmination to the violence against protestors. Saudi Arabia along with Qatar have refrained Syria from its supply of heavy weapons. The United States, on the other hand, has been watchful against offering heavy weapons to Syria revealing the fact that the arms might be used by Syria for attacking Jihadists. Furthermore, it has further been found that the United States has applied numerous sanctions upon Syria that ban assistance and limit any form of bilateral trades. The theory of liberalism cannot be applied to the case of Syria on the grounds that the theory of liberalism generally focuses upon mutual cooperation among the two countries. However, in the context of Syria, the various neighbouring and important states as well as the countries do not possess any form of mutual cooperation which might be a major issue for the overall economy. Conversely, the theory of international society also cannot be implemented to the case of Syrian conflict because of the aspect that there is no cooperative arrangement among the government of Syria with various states (Brown, 1995). This is apparent from the above case example of Syria which clearly demonstrates the fact that most of the countries’ officials denied the supply of arms and ammunitions to Syria because of improper diplomatic contacts (Weber, 2009). Conclusion and Recommendations During major catastrophe in the economy of a particular country, it becomes essential for the country to possess better international relations with other neighbouring countries that can assist it with the required aids. One of the major benefits of good international relations is that it is capable of stimulating effectual and noteworthy trade policies among the nations. The other major advantage of international relations is that it leads to the advancement of the human culture. It further facilitates cross border communications and leads to the enhancement in the economic condition of the country. It can be mentioned that Syria has been engrossed in conflicts with several nations. The people of Syria have been monitored in a quite structured manner since a long period of time (Masters, 2012). However, in the recent times, it has been apparent that the structure related to that particular authority is found to be collapsing. People are found to be protesting in the streets yearning for freedom. It was found that the crisis in Syria has been deepening with the pace of time taking away the lives of thousands of Syrians along with numerous civilians who were caught in between the armed opposition groups as well as the governmental bodies (The New York Times, 2012). It has been recognised that the root causes of such problems in Syria have been social tension, political instability as well as other numerous factors that have brought the country to an adverse situation (Communist Party of Canada, 2012). It has been observed that because of such tensions in the economy, the international relations between Syria as well as other countries have been dismantled to a greater extent. It has been because of the foreign economic competitions, conflicts among the regions as well as Cold War rivalry have reinvigorated the need for creating a stable and responsive government (Center for Strategic Research, 2012). The conflicts provoked owing to the social disparities have led to destabilisation in the economy. The country has not been able to attain a stable democracy, which has been a critical factor of the prevailing conflict. It has also been claimed that the conflicts have occurred because of the dynamics of Syria’s political economy. Both the social factors along with an unfavourable external environment had led to the failure of the Syria’s democratic consolidation. It has further been found that the theory of realism is applicable in the context of case of Syrian conflict because of the aspect that the country has been facing an issue of power by one political party which is further hindering its process to attain democracy in the country. On the other hand, the other two significant theories of international relations such as liberalism as well as international society cannot be made applicable to the case of Syria because of the fact that Syria does not focus upon the mutual cooperation and interdependence with other neighbouring and trading countries (Renggerr, 2000). Hence, in order to bring the conflicts to an end, it is significant for the Syrians as well as the other relevant proponents to make an effort through which the international relations among the countries can be improved. The government of the country needs to employ peace keeping forces into Syria in order to fill the security gap essentially in those areas where sectarian tensions are high. The government further needs to make certain that the borders of Syria have been secured which shall deter the entrance of foreign elements in the country. The government must announce that the country shall respect all the international treaties and obligations. This shall assist in alleviating the problems within the international community. Enhanced and cordial international relations can facilitate Syria as a nation to obtain required global aid which in turn would enable it to subside the evolving conflicting scenarios in the nation (PILPG, 2012). References Broning, M. & et. al., 2011. End of Days for Assad. Roundtables. [Online] Available at: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/discussions/roundtables/end-of-days-for-assad [Accessed December 10, 2012]. BBC News, 2012. 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