Abstract
The Syrian conflict which started in March 2011 is well into its third year and its dimensions and implications are steadily moving beyond Syrian borders and the broader Middle East. Syria’s uprising has developed into a civil war between government forces and the opposition, motivated primarily by internal and external actors’ strategic and at times existential interests. This article examines the implications and dimensions of the Syrian crisis for the major actors in the region, including Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, the Gulf States, Israel and the Kurds. It argues that pitting a Shiite Iran-Iraq-Syria-Hezbollah axis against a Sunni Turkey-Gulf states axis is the most significant geo-political regional effect of the Syrian crisis. What is more devastating is not the division of the region along sectarian lines but the proxy war between the Shiite and Sunni factions.
Highlights
Beginning in March 2011 the Syrians began to demonstrate against the policy of suppression and persecution of Bashar Assad, the present president and his predecessor and father, Hafez Assad (1971 – 2000)
The peaceful protest called for reform as part of what was labeled as the “Arab Spring” in the Middle East
A violent movement emerged that favoured an armed struggle against the oppressive regime. This led to a civil war that continues to the present day
Summary
Beginning in March 2011 the Syrians began to demonstrate against the policy of suppression and persecution of Bashar Assad, the present president and his predecessor and father, Hafez Assad (1971 – 2000). The government did not respond positively to protesters’ demands Instead, it attempted to crush the protest movement violently. A violent movement emerged that favoured an armed struggle against the oppressive regime. This led to a civil war that continues to the present day. In August 2014, the United Nations announced that there were 6.5 million internally displaced persons in Syria, with 2.9 million registered refugees outside the country, making “Syria the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe” (UN Human Rights Council, 2014). These figures do not include the 150,000 Kurdish refugees from Kobane and its surrounding areas. This article discusses the dimensions and implications of the Syrian civil war on the Middle East in general, with particular focus on Turkey, Iraq, Iran, the Gulf States, Lebanon, and Israel, as well as on the Kurds
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