The Agency wishes to provide a summary of the current an ongoing situation with the rapid deterioration of Syria’s Civil War, which now includes multi-international coalitions supporting both sides of the civil war. This civil war also includes the spread and growth of ISIS aka ISIL aka Daesh’s influence across the globe and its continued spread of terror against all that oppose it. This briefing is designed to prepare the office of the Executive Chief to make well educated and decisive decisions for potential issues that will present themselves in coming days and over the next several years within the region.
The Syrian Civil war has its foundation rooted in civil protest, against the current government led by President Bashar al-Assad.
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To gain favorable support from the already war tired public, the United States presented the situation in Syria as that of a dictatorship denying basic civil rights to its people, democracy. The United States was trying to support the survival of democracy and to support the oppressed. This explanation provided to the general public to gain favorable support mirrors that of the Vietnam War, where the reason provided was to provide support to South Vietnam to prevent the spread of communism and maintain basic rights of democracy. The United States eventually committed to providing basic support of supplies and armament with very vague objectives in its commitment and limitations of said support.
Eventually, advisors would be sent in to provide the rebels with guidance and training to fight the better trained and armed Syrian Government. With the introduction of advisors into the civil war we again see a parallel in this action to that of in the Vietnam War’s introduction of advisors. This now placed American personnel on the ground in an active combat zone with the potential of being attacked or caught in the cross fire between the rebels and government troops. The United States escalation of advisors required the Syrian Government to also seek aid and support from other nations that were willing to stand against the United States. This opened the door for Russia, Iran and Hezbollah to back the Syrian Government to deny the United States further
The U.S. was cautious in approaching the problem with Syria, though. They did not want to appear as having imperial motives and thus sought incite a regional response, especially the support of Saudi Arabia. The relationship with Saudi Arabia was strategic in itself because of its fundamental role in the Arab world, especially in dealing with Egypt, as well as its increasing wealth in oil. The U.S., though, did not get the response they were looking for. Saudi Arabia placed the problem squarely on the U.S. government’s shoulders and therefore caused them to change their policies towards Syria. One such change would be that of a military intervention in Syria. Eisenhower could not justify military intervention with Syria without separating it from the similar crisis in the Suez. Thus, military intervention in Syria was justified through asserting that Syria was secretly being infiltrated by the Soviet Union. To solidify this policy the United States needed to find physical proof that this was indeed happening in Syria. This further fueled the need for an all-Arab response in Syria. When other Arab nations refused to respond to the crisis the United States looked to Turkey to stage a military intervention against Syria. This move was not a smart one in that it prompted a response from the Soviet Union in which it warned Turkey not to take action against Syria.
Syria’s civil war is the worst humanitarian crisis of modern time. The “Syrian Civil war Began in March of 2011, between rebel brigades and government force; economy and infrastructure is destroyed” (Library, 2016). “Divisions between secular and religious fighters, and between ethnic groups, continue to complicate the politics of the conflict” (Corps, 2016). Additionally, the Syrian civil war has taken a significant
(Michales) The Russian Defense Ministry said that a training camp and ammo depot were destroyed by bombings near the Islamic State’s defector capital in Syria, Raqqa. The countries of France, Turkey, the United States, Germany, Britain, Qutar, and Saudi Arabia; all say that Russia’s actions will “only fuel more radicalization and extremism.” (Michales) Russia’s airstrikes complicate U.S. efforts to build a moderate opposition in Syria, designed to counter the Islamic State there. (Michales) Pentagon efforts to train and deploy forces stalled before Russia’s airstrikes, but any future recruitment could be difficult if the Pentagon doesn’t provide U.S- backed rebels with guarantee of protection if they come under Russian attack. (Michales) Iraq is accepting help from both the United States and Russia is an ally to the Shiite- dominated government, Iraqi leaders will follow them, while the U.S has been trying to force the Iraqis to compromise with the Sunnis. Nonetheless, when the time comes, Iraq will pick Russia for help to fight
The editors of Britannica Encyclopedia bring up how the Syrian War started due to “protestors demanding an end to authoritarian practices in the Assad Regime that have been in place since 1971 under Hafiz al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad’s father” (“Syrian Civil War,” par. 1). With this want of an end of an era rebel militia groups sprung up over a very short period demanding change in the Syrian government. Militias started small by attacking government meetings and targeting specific Syrian government officials. In a little under a year Syrian militias began a full-fledged war between themselves and the Syrian government. Almost immediately after the Syrian War was declared a war the United Nations jumped in to aid the innocent civilians who were being hurt from the weapons of warfare. Since Syria was already a poor area the war only made it worse and left many homeless and exposed to the fighting in the streets. With over 25,000 dead and 2.5 million in need of food, water and medical supplies the Syrian War crisis has received responses from all over the world… but it’s not enough to bring a sense of safety to the innocent people of Syria (Hilleary pars.
I am writing to you today as a student at the College of William and Mary. I am in an International Security class and recently we studied the events occurring in Syria. As you are well aware, the situation in Syria has been dramatically deteriorating in recent months with the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the recent entrance of Russia into the conflict. Syria, meanwhile, has been in the midst of a ravaging civil war since the early spring of 2011. Currently, the government of Syria is led by President Bashar al-Assad, a member of the Syrian Ba’ath Party, a branch of the same Ba’ath Party that Saddam Hussein was also a member of. This similarity may lead some to think that Syria will end up like Iraq, with a
The United States of America have always worked to advance human dignity, speaking out for freedom and against violation of human rights. The world has witnessed numerous progresses in the expansion of freedom and democracy with the efforts of the United States. Whereas, nations such as the Democratic people’s North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Syria are facing tyranny, brutality, poverty, instability, corruption and suffering. Every tyranny led country to leads
Syria is currently all over the news regarding what many have to come to see as a civil war. A term like civil war needs to identify the players and the reasons for the war. In this case the players are being identified as pro government or antigovernment with a Sunni or Shia overtone. Sunni and Shia are the two major sects of Islam and both have a historical based conflict going back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad and how Muslims should be governed. This conflict has caused tensions and violence to flare up throughout Islamic history. This conflict has carried into modern times and has becoming a rallying point for Muslim people calling for change with their government and across the Middle Eastern region. The
The parties involved in many civil wars are often not just limited to the country in which the war is actually taking place. Often, other countries will give aid to one side of the conflict or even involve their own military forces. Recent examples of such occurrences include Russian, American, and Turkish involvement in the present Syrian Civil War and the NATO bombing campaign during the Kosovo War. These countries expend massive amounts of resources and lose great numbers of troops in these conflicts often to uncertain ends. This begs the question: Why do foreign powers involve themselves in the civil wars of other countries? It is possible that such interventions occur because the intervening party believes that they could make strategic gains by doing so. Another theory is that countries intervene when they feel that there is a moral obligation to get involved in the conflict (Kim 2012, 19). However, even when circumstances seem to be in favor of a foreign power intervening, they do not involve themselves. This paper will test these hypotheses by examining the intervention by the United States and Russia primarily in the current Syrian Civil War and attempt to discern their motives for
I feel it is my responsibility as an American citizen to offer you a critical perspective, in regards to the crisis in Syria, perhaps not seen through the eyes of someone in your distinguished position. Let me speak the words that a share of our fellow citizens have had silenced by the authority of power figures who claim that the United States has an obligation – an obligation to seemingly “mother” other countries, providing protection against any and all harm. I will admit that the conflict overseas is undoubtedly a tragedy and by no means should it be overlooked. However, it is not the responsibility of the United States to play peacemaker among nations, and it certainly does not allow for the disregarding of our own immediate issues.
Syrian Sunni rebels have been trained by the U.S. military to attack northern Syria, and turned to U.S airstrikes. This is a semi alliance, and it is loose, so they do not actually work together; they just have a common goal. In this semi alliance, the US provides support, and trains Syrian rebels, to fight the war against northern Syria. This is a different kind of war than WWII. WWII was fought between countries and ended with a clear winner. In this scenario, Part of a country rebels against another part, but with another country aiding the rebels. Nadim Hassan, who is the leader of the 30th division, which is a not as extreme group of rebels, has been captured along with others. Syria became independent in 1946, and very shortly became and unstable nation with a lot of cases of rebellion and other things. In 2011, Syrians became inspired to rebel because of the Arab spring activists in Egypt and Tunisia. The Arab spring is a giant collection of protests, wars, and revolutions around the Middle East that started in December 17, 2010 in Tunisia. The consequences of the Syrian war also differ from the consequences of the nuclear bombs that were dropped and Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The consequences resulting from the war in Syria include the deaths of over 10,000 people, and Syria is currently a nation in crisis. The Islamic religion is split into two branches, which are called Sunni and Shiite. Syria is considered an Islamic country, and the government in Syria is dominated with Shiites. This Sunni versus Shiite conflict is another reason along with the Arab spring for the war in Syria. The Sunnis are rebelling against the Shiite government, and this is similar to a civil war. Civil war is similar to another topic, revolution. Revolution is defined as: “A fundamental change in political organization; especially the overthrow or renunciation of one government or ruler and the substitution of another by the governed.” The main
An understanding of where the Syrian healthcare system stood before the civil war, the toll of the fighting and intentional targeting of medical personnel/infrastructure, ongoing humanitarian efforts, and America’s actions to date enable an informed evaluation of whether or not to use American military forces in a humanitarian assistance role in Syria. This context allows for an examination of the limitations of humanitarian aid, the advantages/disadvantages of plausible courses of action involving the military and the threat of mission creep. Before evaluating the merits of available courses of action the military can take to address Syria’s medical crisis, it is important to identify and understand the limitations of humanitarian assistance in general. Taylor Seybolt, Associate Professor in International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh an expert on military and humanitarian intervention, cites the following inherent limitations of humanitarian intervention: it does not provide a lasting solution to conflict; it has the potential to prolong wars; it can foster economic dependence; and it inhibits strong state development.19 When these limitations are considered in regard to Syria, military intervention for the sole purpose of providing medical humanitarian support does not make sense.
The Syrian conflict began in 2011 in the city of Daraa. The war began following the appearance of anti government graffiti was sprayed onto a school. With students facing repercussions from the government an effort to remove the current government (with the Assad family at the helm). A militia composed of locals and Jihadists, called the Free Syrian Army, along with other countries around the globe began showing their disapproval for the current regime. This culminated with the United Nations General Assembly meeting in 2012 agreeing to pass a resolution to crack down on President Assad. I have organized key events into the years they have occurred.
The “just cause criterion is central in the “just war” doctrine. When assessing the sufficient “just cause” reasons the principle of self-defence is undoubtedly tolerable. It can be extended to the reason of assisting aid to victims of oppression or external threat (Moseley n.d.). Following this principle, the mass murder of the Syrian civilians by the government forces that reached nearly 40000 (Aloyo 2014) create a justified cause for the USA and the international community in general. However, in the case of Syria using forces against the aggression as a whole will be an impossible task, as both parties
ISIS then extended their efforts into Syria, opposing Assad and his Alawite/Shiite government. Making the Syrian situation even more complicated, Kurds from Eastern Syria seek to establish
In this paper, I will explain South Africa’s foreign policy and national security concerns over the ongoing conflict in Syria. In order to understand how Syria developed into its current state, I will then provide an overview of the history of the country. The history will begin at the end of World War I after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and will then continue through French control and the subsequent uprising. It will then proceed on to World War II, the founding of the Baath Party, and the joining of the United Arab Republic. As the overview approaches the 21st century, I will briefly cover the rise of Assad, the war with Israel, and the uprising in Hama. Lastly, I will cover the Assad succession, tensions with the United States, and on through the nationwide uprising of 2011. In the next section of this paper, I will cover South Africa’s foreign policy concerns with Syria including statements they have made and their general feelings and opinions of the ongoing situation. Next, I will elaborate on South Africa’s foreign policies regarding Syria. This section will include what intervention they advocate, their policies on refugees, and their overall belief of what should be done about the conflict. Finally, the paper will draw to a close with a conclusion concerning what should be done about the conflict in Syria.