INTRODUCTION

The Syrian Civil War, rooted in the Arab Spring protests, escalated right into a complicated worldwide battle between various regional and international powers pursuing their strategic intrests through proxies and direct army interventions, leading to devastating humanitarian disaster. 

ORIGINS AND EARLY STAGES OF THE CONFLICT

The Arab Spring highlighted a series of protests against autocratic goverments in the Arab World beginning in late 2010s. Syria was no exception to the wave of protests against to the totalitarian regime of Bashar Al Assad. Due to the economic and political woes faced by the majoritly Sunni Arab government, however the government was run by the Alawite Shia minority. 

During July 2011 we the Anti Assad rebels form the Free Syrian Army. This was a result of the massive crackdown done by the administration on the Syrian public that resulted in the government facing attacks from rebels. Therefore the conflict that has begun from demanding economic and political concessions stems from root of power that Assad fears would be lost if said concessions are provided. 

It is stated that only a third of the populace backed the regime and militarisation seemed the best alternative to crush the dissent. However the conflict had spread beyond the domestic realm and international actors tooks serious steps to spead their interests. 

ESCALATION AND INTERNATIONALISATION

•  Rise of Islamist Groups 

With the intensification of the Civil War in Syria, Radical sunni groups such as the Islamic State and Al Nusra had taken prominent positions in Syria. The former being a prominent power had taken serious control of cities such as Raqqah and Deir ez Zor. With the organisation had taken steps to integrate and capture Sunni parts of Iraq. 

Moreover it has used sharia based law in its administrative territories and had obtained support of locals. It has offered the citizens better livelihood by guaranteeing better security, economy and religious guarantees, that was unaware of during the corrupt Iraq and Syrian administration. 

However with the attacks on European Soil by the Islamic State, saw the West increase airstrikes against ISIS held territories. It has also led them to back Rebels against the Syrian Government. Seeing this, Iran and Russia are backers of the Assad government as both nations interests are vested in the region. Iran in its broader fight against Israel has indulged in utilising proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas. The former was strengthened in Lebanon by Syria to strengthen its intrests in Beirut. During the 80s, Iranian delegation led via their defense minister reached an settlement with the al-Assad authorities whereby the IRGC could begin an Islamic resistance motion in Lebanon with al-Assad’s blessing in exchange for Iranian oil. 

It was through this that Hezbollah was formulated and carried out joint Syrian and Iranian interests in the region. From the onset of the Civil War, Hezbollah has helped the Assad regime take on the Sunni factions such as ISIS and al Nusra. This helps the Assad regime, through its allies take down opposition. Mainly the intervention was done by Hezbollah to protect its interests which is to prevent the spillover of the anti-government rebels into Lebanon and it being dragged into the conflict. 

• Increasing Involvement of International Powers 

The Civil War in Syria then became a battleground for various international actors in different ways. Russia and Iran side with the Assad government for their strategic intrests: i.e a base in the Mediterranean and help Tehran's plan to fight against the Israelis and the Sunni Arabs. 

Finally the Turks plan to curb the growth of Kurdish backed separatists in an effort to prevent the spillover of the rebel successes into South Eastern Anatolia. Moscow in particular has intended to challenge the Western led international democratic order, by backing an authoritarian leader. This would grant Russia an easy access to warm water ports in the Eastern Mediterranean and act as a counter force to the US-led forces stationed in the region. 

Senior Fellow Borshchevskaya of Washington Institute analyses the situation well when he says, “Moscow considers Syrian foothold critical for deterring the West and projecting power into NATO’s southern flank and amplifying Moscow’s intelligence-gathering opportunities against the United States and its partners in favour of Russia’s interests.” Therefore it is of absolute importance for Russia to back the Assad regime in order to further its interests. 

Iran helps the Assad regime which would in turn help Tehran protect Hezbollah, maintain a level of coherence among the regional proxies, counter Sunni adversaries like Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, and deter attacks by Israeli assaults. 

Syria is a vital land-bridge connecting different fronts of Iran's "Axis of Resistance” against Western and Sunni interests in the Middle East. Therefore the Iranian military has closely coordinated with the Syrian government to take on insurgency and reestablish Syrian control within its borders. 

Turkey's strategic interest in Syria is to neutralise the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its Syrian offshoot, the People's Defence Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a terrorist organisation operating close to its southern border. Türkiye has conducted numerous army incursions into northern Syria to create a buffer along the Turkish-Syrian border, geared toward addressing its protection worries and facilitating the return of Syrian refugees hosted in Turkey.

• Human Rights Concerns

Syria has descended right into a catastrophic human rights decline after 13 years of civil war that has resulted in economic collapse. Widespread lack of confidence and disintegration of rule of law has enabled systematic violations of monetary and social rights. Civilians face difficulty to access meals, housing, employment, training and healthcare amid a plummeting economic system. Armed groups perpetuate killings, abductions and limit movement, preventing people from securing livelihoods. All this results in serious human rights violations where the government is unable to take care of the civilians.

CONCLUSION

As the Syrian Civil War drags on, the international community ought to prioritise diplomatic efforts to cease the violence, facilitate humanitarian resources, and pave the way for a complete political solution that addresses the grievances of all parties and restores stability in the nation.

BY TEAM GEOSTRATA