Why Syria's War Is So Complicated - International Relations - Research Paper

Kevin Camorlinga
International Relations
4-4-18
The Syrian conflict started in 2011 when protests arose against the oppressive regime of Al-Assad. “What began as a movement of sustained protest demanding regime change and political reforms has morphed into one of the most brutal and horrific conflicts in the post-World War II era (Abboud 44).” In other words it went from a civil revolution into a civil war. Even though Libya was also unhappy about the living conditions, corruption, and other humanitarian issues, the events that happened in Libya and Syria were handled differently.
Despite the fact that both Libya and Syria have killed civilians they also have ended up with different outcomes. The Libyan government has been overthrown by international interventions through military force while the Syrian crisis has continued due to the UN’s members to agree on a plan. “As the conflict has progressed, the role of international actors in military, financially ,and politically backing their respective allies in Syria is perhaps the single largest factor explaining the continuity of their conflict, the fragmentation of political and military forces, the failure of reconciliation efforts, and the existing stalemate that is slowly fragmenting the country (Abboud 90)”. To add to this Syria’s geographic location and bordering with Middle-Eastern countries makes this situation much harder. Not only are there religious tensions between surrounding countries but Syria is split by a complex system of insurgents, rebels, and other alliances. “Syria is the cornerstone of the Middle East security architecture. In terms of religions, Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon sympathize with the Assad administration while Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar support the Sunni Muslim rebels (Rose 152)”. To add to this Syria’s geographic location and bordering Middle Eastern countries makes this situation much harder. Not only are there religious tensions between surrounding countries but Syria is split by a complex system of alliances. “Syria is the cornerstone of the Middle East security architecture. In terms of religions, Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon sympathize with the Assad administration while Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar support the Sunni Muslim rebels (Rose 152).”
Syria presented a different case for NATO. The same reasons why we supported Libya’s intervention was being used to justify...