Introduction Syria like many countries before them, such as Libya and Egypt has become the epicenter for change in the region, allowing for other countries to follow in their footsteps. The question that is asked, what are the factors behind the instability in Syria and how does the religious conflict within their region have causal relations to the growing instability and the blending of borders due to refugees and displacement of their citizens? Looking exclusively at Syria serious key factors can be represented sociologically with regards to stratification, religion and power that is held by the elite class, which also makes up the religious minority. While roughly 90% of country is Muslim, 74% are Sunni, that makes up a majority of …show more content…
A major concern for collecting impartial and non-biased data needed specific requirements to be met. Once Articles were found that pertain the research topic and question, three articles would need to be chosen. The first article would then be screened to ensure there is little to no bias, and holds a neutral position. The primary source material would be made entirely of numbers and statistics regarding, Syria’s population, diversity makeup, and number of citizens either displaced or refugees to ensure qualitative and quantitative date. Thus the CIA Fact Book website proved to be reliable and nonbiased in terms of strictly data figures. For the other two primary first account reports and articles, was important that they have a stated opinion on the situation involving the Syrian crisis, while maintaining objectivity, by using facts provided over the current situation. These articles and primary resource material allows for concise objective reasoning, on the evolving crisis that is currently developing within Syria and its neighboring countries. With the information provided from resource websites, firsthand accounts, and news organization reporting on new developments assisted with the research and obtaining accurate data, in order for a valid research design and execution.
Background
Religion is said to be the primary cause of violence that has erupted in many Middle Eastern countries, such as Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Jordan.
One thing that may be fueling this violence is religion. Religion is a huge part to countries and conflict. In Syria, the background essay states that, “People’s ethnic and religious identity began to play an increasingly important in determining on which side of the conflict they stood.” For instance, most Sunnis do not agree with the Assad regime. Also,
With a death toll in the hundred of thousands, and millions displaced, the Syrian civil war has become a violent mark on the world’s history. What started as a peaceful protest has spread over five years, has evolved into a war with a tyrannical government, a clashing rebellion, and terrorism fighting either side. But what is it that really fuels the immense amount of violence? It can be narrowed down to four groups that are obvious. The government and the rebels are the forerunners in violence in the war, sure, but they aren’t the only ones. There are the terrorist groups, with skewed views to support the destruction of people and things around them, and in itself the stark difference of the religions and ethnicities of Syria. Who causes
The US sponsored research conducted by the Political Instability Task Force identified key factors responsible increasing the political instability of states. These factors include: bad neighborhood, state discrimination and anocratic regimes. ( USAID, 2012 ). These are clear characteristics of Syria.The Syrian constitution for example does not address sexual orientation, the Alawite community ( from which Asad is a member ) dominate the entire government and according to Human Rights Watch, the government detains protesters and subject them to atrocities. Political parties are also harassed. (United States Department of State, 2014). Terrorists prey on domestic political instability to advance international terrorism because unstable states offers them the military and organizational skills. ( Campos & Gassebner, 2009).
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
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
Saul’s article recognizes that the Syrian refugee crisis exists amidst citizen sponsorship, Aboriginal judgement, and disorder within EU countries’ immigrant policies. According to Saul, democracy in Canadian politics grants citizenship to immigrants without any obstacles. Canada’s immigration policies are transparent because they are balanced with civic participation. Saul thinks that multiculturalism is a forceful catalyst towards establishing equality and integrity for the refugees. In the first point, Saul does not agree that refugees should be privately sponsored and assisted by the government. In the second point, Saul indicates that Canada’s national identity is the product of the encounter between the Aboriginals and European settlers, which has resulted in citizenship. By entering the Inuit circle, immigrants can establish themselves as a strong unit not by having roots outside Canada, but by living with Canadian intellect. The immigrants should mold to nature because this is the way the Aboriginals have defined their understandings of life. As Sifton has noted, “the … government … made presentations … to potential immigrants, presenting beautiful images of the Rocky Mountains and thriving settled farmland” (475). In the last point, Saul comments on the European prejudices that are
In Syria we see massive civilian displacement and casualties due to fighting. The specific symptoms are armed conflict, air strikes, and purported chemical weapon usage. In following step two and collecting data we have verified proof that the problem exists via independent and state sponsored journalists reporting to all major news syndicates worldwide. The beginnings of the conflict formed over many years of pro-democracy civilians being suppressed in lieu of an authoritarian government. The beginning of the actual anti-regime uprising started in March of 2011 following the arrests of teens and children for political graffiti (Syrian Civil War Fast Facts, 2015). This lead to mass demonstrations in the country's capital and surrounding cities, and let to Syrian police and military forces beating and even killing protesters. This led to the formation to militias forming which split the country into the military and security forces of the Syrian state and militant rebels attempting to overthrow the government. The impact of the problem is that Syria has spiraled into a constant state of chaos throughout the country, resulting in almost complete devastation of all the country's main cities, as well as, constant war and the death of many innocent people and
A current issue on the minds and agendas of the international community is the Syrian Refugee Crisis. The situation has only escalated since its start in 2011, and as the number of displaced Syrians reaches over 9 million, countries around the world, not just the ones in the Middle East, are increasing efforts to offer asylum and aid for these people. The Syrian Refugee Crisis began with peaceful anti-government protests in March of 2011, but after the violent response of the government, rebels, army defectors, and many civilians formed the Free Syrian Army by July of the same year (Mercy Corps, Sept 2nd, 2015). The presence of ISIS within Syria and the differing views of religious groups (namely Sunni and Shiite) in the country only add to the chaos of destruction of the country and the Syrian people’s lives and homes. With the constant state of war within the country, basic necessities like food, water, and shelter have become scarce and Syrian people are looking to find new homes of stability and safety. The large majority of Syrians have fled to the neighboring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Turkey. However the burden of harboring these refugees has put huge stress on the countries as the sheer number of people entering the country becomes too much to handle. Today one in five people living in Lebanon is a Syrian refugee (Mercy Corps, Sept 2nd, 2015). With the neighboring countries already beyond capacity, Syrians are looking for shelter in places outside this
Syria, a state located also in western Asia, in a region famously known as Middle East. Geographically, its’ location is bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey. The state is currently in the middle of turmoil, torn between three sides, the Assad Regime, the dictatorial current President of Syria, the Syrian Opposition (Free Syrian Army and Jaysh Al-Islam), and ISIS. There are also Kurdistan armed forces mixed in the civil war, causing even more problem in Syria. To understand the geopolitical condition of Syria, we need to analyze the pre-civil war condition of Syria followed by ISIS infected condition.
Syria and Lebanon are two dramatically different states with a deeply intertwined history. They were both born out of French interventionism following World War 1, and have experienced complex and strained relations ever since. The two nations have both experienced prodigious political turmoil since gaining their independence, with both suffering from civil wars and conflict with their mutual neighbor, Israel. The war and turmoil that has plagued these two countries can be traced back to various competing national interests, as well as a struggle for regional power. The various religious groups in the area have historically formed transnational advocacy networks with the intent of influencing regional politics. These groups have proved to of been a major factor in the history of both nations.
that religion and politics have a long history in the Middle East does not mean that religion is always, or even most of the time, a crucial factor driving political conflicts. Most of the politics of the Middle East have been viewed by those inside and outside the region as driven by religious difference. From the Arab-Israeli conflict to the Iranian revolution to the emergence of
Syrian civil war started in 2011 was the outcome of the opposition against the President Bashar al-Assad regime. The uprising emerged as a response to the Arab spring movement that lead to regime change in Tunisia and subsequently turned into mass unrest rooted into the discontent with long-term dictatorship and poor economic situation in the country (Manfreda, n.d.). The number of Syrian citizens killed in the civil war reached 140000 since March 2011 (SBS 2014). The European Commission (2014, 2) reports approximately 9.3 million civilians “in need for humanitarian assistance”. The scale of armed rebellion between government and opposition that lead to an increasing number of casualties among civilians did not remain unnoticed by the
The Syrian Civil War has had a profound effect of all Syrians as well as neighbouring countries and the international community. With more than 11 million homeless Syrians comes consequences beyond what most of the world population has ever experienced or anticipated. Of the displaced, almost 5 million are refugees outside Syria and around 6 million have been displaced inside Syria, with half of all displaced Syrians being children. The main causes of displacement amongst the population is the violence committed by all sides of the war, and which often targets civilians or centres of high civilian activity (such as markets, hospitals, schools, workplaces or high density residential areas). One main group heavily affected by the conflict
Since many religions have started in the Middle East, it has become the center for erupting conflicts. For instance, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been in the news for many reasons. Both groups want control of the God given land that they both claim is theirs, according to God, and what had happened in the past. The result of the conflict is religious terrorism (PBS, 1). Continuing, some Middle Eastern politics have been in conflict, even dividing communities of the
Since 2011, Syria has been engaged in a Civil War with protestors against the government and members of the extremist group ISIS, and approximately 7.6 million people have been displaced from their homes (usnews.com 2015). As the conflict destroys more homes and livelihoods each year, an increasing number of civilians have been forced to leave Syria and try to find safety elsewhere. Already a contentious issue, the Syrian refugee crisis has awakened tensions, both economic and social as debate erupts over what to do with the refugees.In response to the crisis, while some countries like Germany have pledged to help the refugees, (New Statesman 2015 1) only 2,340 have been admitted. Clearly, more needs to be done in order to help the refugees. Although there are economic and population concerns to be considered, the humanitarian conflict that faces the refugees and solutions already available are reason enough for Europe to increase the numbers of Syrian refugees allowed in.