SINCE 2011, THIS MIDDLE EASTERN NATION HAS BEEN RAVAGED BY WAR BETWEEN VARIOUS COMPETING PARTIES. IT HAS BECOME A COMPLEX GEOPOLITICAL BATTLEGROUND. HERE'S HOW.
5,86,100. These are the number of civilians who have lost their lives since 2011. It is important to note that this does NOT include the rebels & soldiers who died while fighting. Now, the Syrian Civil War is a nightmare for peace seekers. it is a very complex situation involving various parties.
TIMELINE OF THE WAR.
The Arab Spring reached Syria in 2011 when pro-democracy protests began against Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad. This autocratic ruler decided to curb these protests by brutal force.
ASSAD AL BASHAR: THE POWERHOLIC
However some soldiers of his army were sympathetic towards the civilians. They turned rogue & formed the FREE SYRIA ARMY. From now on, they shall be refereed to as the 'rebels' .
Iran became the first outsider to enter the conflict & they provided military support to Assad.
Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran entered the conflict to support Assad.
IRAN BACKED HEZBOLLAH
The Kurds entered the conflict with the motive of forming a autonomous state Kurdistan where Kurds would be the dominant ethnic majority. They want to carve out a separate state from present day Turkey, Iraq. Syria, Armenia & Iran.
KURDISH STATE: A FUTURE NATION?
The conflict took a religious tinge when Shia dominant gulf states like Saudi Arabia & Iran wanted to suppress the Sunni dominant masses of Syria.
When Assad used chemical weapons in 2014, the Americans entered the war in support of the rebels.
This prompted the entry of Russia who supports the Assad regime.
ISIS emerged as a major player in late 2015 when it broke away from al-Qaeda's Iraq branch & fought a war against Assad as well as the rebels. Its important to note that the main objective of ISIS (Islamic state of Iraq & Syria) was to create an Islamic caliphate .
The expansion of ISIS at its peak increased American involvement in the region.
ISIS was defeated by Kurd backed SDF in 2019.
al-Qaeda, backed by USA also fought against Assad.
CONFLICTS: SIMPLIFIED
Assad vs rebels
Shia vs Sunni
Turkey vs Kurds
Shia vs Sunni
USA vs Russia
Syria vs Turkey
ISIS vs USA vs Kurds vs Assad
Hezbollah vs Rebels & Kurds
Iran vs USA
al-qaeda vs Assad
Hezbollah vs USA & many more.........
MY CONCLUSION:
This civil war is not ending anytime soon due to its complexities & distraction of corona virus.
American sanctions on Iran will weaken Assad as Iran is a major backer. However the sanctions will have a detrimental effect on welfare of Syrian people as well.
Trump had vowed to exit Syria but the use of chemical weapons by Asad again in 2016 changed his perception. Hence, USA will not leave anytime soon.
ISIS has been completely decimated & now has no major role in its conflict.
5.Iran's involvement can reduce due to strain on its economy in such times.
6. Kurdish aspirations for a future state can be considered whimsical as Iran, Turkey & Armenia have strong military which will not secede territory easily.
7. The major losers of this conflict have been none other than innocent civilians. They have borne the brunt of massacre, genocide, sharia law, terrorism, rape, child slaughter, bombing, coups & bloody wars.
TODAY'S ARTICLE WAS BASED ON VIDEOS BY VOX, THE GUARDIAN & BBC NEWS. IF YOU WANT A MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS, FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME. THATS ALL THANKS GUYS.
GO CORONA GO!