The advent of the Arab Spring movement brought civil unrest to countries in the Gulf. Syria was one such country that was devastated by this movement. The movement was supposed to bring down the dictatorial regiment and redundant democracy in the Middle East. The movement, which was for their people’s salvation soon turned into their damnation. Syria and Libya were most affected by this movement. Instead of bringing peace to the people of this country, this civil war brought attention from different parts of the world, from countries who wanted to seek their interests in the region.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
In a Sunni-dominated nation, Bashar Al Assad the leader of the Ba’ath party was a Shia Alawite. The rise in food prices, abject poverty, human rights, and drought were the main reasons that questioned the efficiency of Assad’s government. Assad’s regime was a dictatorial regime whose father “Hafez Al Assad (military general)” had taken over the nation in a coup d’état. This raised resentment in the minds of the Syrian population. It is astounding that a country with such a great history in the Middle East has come down to shambles. It is appalling to see the horrendous crimes which have followed it.
SYRIA GOVERNMENT AND THE REBEL GROUPS
The government is backed by Russia, Iran, and China (diplomatically through the UNSC). Many rebels were formed such as the Syrian democratic forces-supported by the Kurds in the north of Syria; The Free Syrian Army- supported by the USA, Turkey, and Jordan ISIS-controlling the eastern part of Syria. The unrest has killed many innocent lives and many have fled to the neighboring countries. The government still holds the land with a significant population. The ISIS has taken the war to a religious one. Regaining the lost lands in control of these rebels has become arduous. The Syrian government is beholden to the Russian forces who helped them to recover the second most populated city “Aleppo” in the region as well as many other important territories.
ECONOMY
The vandalization of the civic infrastructure and mass immigration has plummeted the growth from 3.18% in 2011 to -0.18%. The GDP stood at 60 Billion dollars in 2011 and now is a meager $8.97 billion. From the status of a middle-income country, it has become a lower-income nation of $418. It is quite astonishing when we have a glance over these numbers. But the truth cannot be ignored when a nation whose economy was once steadily increasing and was showing signs of a promising future has now fallen into a mess. The unemployment rate is a baffling 33%. Syria’s economy contracted 85% in the last 14 years, which decimated the infrastructure and sparked hyperinflation. The future of the Syrian economy seems bleak. Ninety percent of the population lives in poverty, most are unable to make ends meet or bring food to the table. The inflation rate is 140%. The conflict has caused lasting damage to the health system, and electricity and has seen widespread destruction.
THE AFTERMATH
Assad’s regime had to capitulate unconditionally and fled to Russia to seek asylum. A lightning rebel attack has ended his family’s 50-year-old rule. Israel which had already invaded the Golan Heights territory has further invaded Syria. ISIS has gained control of a significant portion of their land. A power vacuum has been created in the region. Russian forces have hastily withdrawn their air base in Kobani. The US has launched airstrikes against ISIS camps as a part of its efforts to combat terrorism. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) controls the bulk of the Syrian population. They control cities like Idlib, Aleppo, and Hama, where a significant population resides in Syria.
The southern part of Syria is controlled by the Syrian Free Army (SFA) and the Southern Operations Room (SOP). Ethnically Syria has the Alawites in the east, Kurds in the north, and Jew minorities in the south. But how these groups will coexist is unclear. Syria is highly polarized. Countries like Austria have stopped processing Syrian asylum applications after Assad’s fall. They have prepared a program of orderly repatriation and deportation to Syria. More than a decade of intense war has left much of the country inhospitable. 11 billion dollars is the price for the reconstruction of the cities in Syria.
More than five thousand soldiers of Assad’s regime have fled to the neighboring country Iraq. The civilians have been deprived of the basic means and resources. This revolution has created many divisions in the country. In the end, Syria will remain a hotbed as long as the civil war is aided and abetted by foreign countries. Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. Revolutions after all live in dreams but wake up in decades.