Uprising in Syria, by Mbole K. Nku
M.K.N Uprising in Syria
Thesis: The situation in Syria began as a secular upheaval, but internal mismanagement by the regime in attempting to gem up fear by negatively embellishing the prospects of regime change has turned Syria into a hotbed of ethno-sectarian warfare, which in turn has attracted foreign jihadists to Syria who seek to hijack what began as a secular movement into one with religious connotations. As a result although the fall of Assad increasingly looks like the ultimate outcome, with an opposition in clear disarray as well as a US weary of getting bogged down in another prolonged war in the ME, the prospects of finding a resolution to this situation, whether military or political remains elusive.
Part I: Introduction: Brief Overview
Syria was mired in political unrest, highlighted by the three military coups that happened in 1949 (Pollack, p231) until Hafez al-Assad (Bashar’s father) came to power in 1971, preventing it from assuming a failed state status. Since then, the country has experienced relative stability both economically and politically with few exceptions, like the Hama massacre which saw the slaughter of tens of thousands. Syria was still reasonably stable until the Arab Spring, and the ensuing chaos has brought in extremists into the country (Pollack, 2012). The self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi in 2011 sparked an uprising in the Arab world as its populations demanded economic fairness and democratic reforms. Syria, which many believed to have a fortress around its regime, could not escape the wave that was swirling around the Arab world as corruption and repression was also a common denominator in Syria.
However, the Syrian uprising is proving to be a trickier situation because to date, there seems to be no ending in sight to the conflict as a result of the unwillingness of the Assad regime to step down, a disorganized opposition, as well as
Thesis: The situation in Syria began as a secular upheaval, but internal mismanagement by the regime in attempting to gem up fear by negatively embellishing the prospects of regime change has turned Syria into a hotbed of ethno-sectarian warfare, which in turn has attracted foreign jihadists to Syria who seek to hijack what began as a secular movement into one with religious connotations. As a result although the fall of Assad increasingly looks like the ultimate outcome, with an opposition in clear disarray as well as a US weary of getting bogged down in another prolonged war in the ME, the prospects of finding a resolution to this situation, whether military or political remains elusive.
Part I: Introduction: Brief Overview
Syria was mired in political unrest, highlighted by the three military coups that happened in 1949 (Pollack, p231) until Hafez al-Assad (Bashar’s father) came to power in 1971, preventing it from assuming a failed state status. Since then, the country has experienced relative stability both economically and politically with few exceptions, like the Hama massacre which saw the slaughter of tens of thousands. Syria was still reasonably stable until the Arab Spring, and the ensuing chaos has brought in extremists into the country (Pollack, 2012). The self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi in 2011 sparked an uprising in the Arab world as its populations demanded economic fairness and democratic reforms. Syria, which many believed to have a fortress around its regime, could not escape the wave that was swirling around the Arab world as corruption and repression was also a common denominator in Syria.
However, the Syrian uprising is proving to be a trickier situation because to date, there seems to be no ending in sight to the conflict as a result of the unwillingness of the Assad regime to step down, a disorganized opposition, as well as
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