생존을 위한 아사드 정권의 ‘쓸모 있는 시리아’ 전략

Abstract

One of the Assad regime’s strategies to survive is control over strategically important ‘useful Syria (suriya al-mufidah)’. For this purpose, the Assad regime forced displacement of local residents, especially Sunnis. Meanwhile, anti-government forces claim that the Assad regime and its allies are turning Sunnis into a minority group in Syria through deliberate demographic change. This study analyzes the goal of the Assad regime’s refugee strategies in ‘Useful Syria’ and examines the suspicions about the Shiaization of Syria. The debate on demographic changes in ‘Useful Syria’ suggests that the perspective distinguishes between ‘us’ and ‘the enemy’ based on sectarian identity continues to be an important factor in the Syrian civil war.