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Syria has been undergoing a massive civil war since 2011. To date, approximately 465,000 deaths have been attributed to the conflict, as reported by The New York Times. But that number doesn’t paint the entire picture of what is going on in Syria. There’s more to understand, more to unravel, and more to research before the picture on the ground in Syria becomes clear. Over this four-part series, I will shed some light on Syria’s past, present, and future.
Syria’s Present
The following is a list of the current ongoing conflicts happening in Syria. This is a list of all the ways people are dying in the war-torn country. And because of such a complex list of state actors, there is no clear, or one-sided, solution that can alleviate the suffering.
- The Syrian government vs. The Syrian Opposition (Rebel forces).
- Israel vs. the Iranian backed forces in Syria.
- The United States vs. the Assad Regime (Syrian gov’t).
- The United States vs. ISIS.
- The Syrian government vs. ISIS.
- The Kurds vs. the Syrian government.
- The Kurds vs. ISIS.
- Russia vs. ISIS.
- Russia vs. The Syrian Opposition.
- Iran vs. The Syrian Opposition.
- Turkey vs. The Syrian government.
- Turkey vs. ISIS.
- The Syrian civil war spillover to Israeli supported Lebanon.
- The Iran vs. Saudi Arabia proxy conflict.
Millions of Syrians Suffering
According to the Human Rights Watch, more than 4.5 million people have fled Syria to seek safety, shelter, and food in other countries. Of this total, most are women and children. Another 6.5 million people have been displaced inside of Syria’s borders, still exposed to the harsh realities that are the hells of war. When you add in the death toll of 450,000, that puts the total close to the population for my home state of Ohio, which according to the U.S. Census Bureau has a population of 11,658,609 as of July 1, 2017. I cannot imagine every single person in Ohio fleeing for their lives, displaced by bombings and war, or worse yet, dead. Those who did survive would become part of the refugee crisis.
Chemical Warfare
But again, this isn’t all of what is happening on the ground in Syria. The Assad regime has a history of using chemical weapons against its own people. On April 7, 2018, he allegedly did it again in one of the last rebel-held strongholds in Eastern Ghouta. The US, UK, and France responded by unleashing airstrikes against the Assad regime over the weekend.
A Nation Divided
Syria has become a nation divided into factions with each acting out of its own concern and benefit. Her fate will be decided by outside influencers — again, as it was almost one hundred years ago when France and Britain controlled the region.
Syria’s Issues have Global Consequence
There’s been much debate to this point about how to move forward in assisting with the conflicts in Syria, what the United States’ role should be, and how it will affect Syria in the long-term. To answer these questions, we must have a greater understanding foreign policy, the Un Charter, and the situation in Syria.
This Series
In part 1, I’ve laid out the issues. Part 2 will cover the history of Syria, including the Syrian Civil War which began officially in 2011. Part 3, will focus on the many different nations taking part in the wars ongoing in Syria and their role in shaping the political landscape. And finally, part 4, will highlight the recent US, UK, and French military interventions in Syria this past week of April 9, 2018, and the international and domestic legality, possible outcomes, and whether or not the UN and America are overstepping their authority.
We, as the citizens of a country involved in a foreign conflict, owe it to ourselves as voters and owe it to those affected by our nation’s actions to learn as much as we can about the current and upcoming ramifications of military strikes in Syria.
Be sure to catch all parts of this series, and feel free to reach out with any comments or questions. I’m more than willing to engage in meaningful dialogue on this important issue with you.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
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