Tatiana Castro-64162093

Diego Criollo -64161111

Syrian Civil War and international backgrounds. View from political realism.

ABSTRACT

The Syrian civil war is an armed conflict between the opposition, including several

terrorist groups, and the Syrian armed forces. The current armed conflict in Syria begins on

March 6, 2011. On that day, a group of teenagers was arrested in Dara, in the south of the

country, for drawing on a wall graffiti against the regime. This arrest generated large

demonstrations in the city, which were answered towards civilians by the police force. The

protests spread throughout the country in a matter of months. All this during the "Arab

Spring" that soon after became a conflict and an international security issue between several

countries.

This research will address one of the most relevant international relations theories,

political realism. With a focus on offensive realism to be able to give an explanation to the

current situation seen in the countries of the Middle East, especially in the civil war in Syria.

And finally, it gives results to what could be the real intentions that the great powers have

when they intervene in the war in Syria.

KEYWORDS

Syria - realism - international relations - civil war - great powers – interventions

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Diego Criollo -64161111
Valentina Robayo Garcia 64171150

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, there has been a notable intervention by the great powers. The

opposition, for example, has been supported by Western nations, including the United States,

members of the European Union, as well as several neighboring countries in the Middle East.

On the other hand, other countries have pledged their aid to the government of Bashar

Al-Asad, notably Russia and Iran, which have actively supported Damascus. China is another

country that has declared its support for the Syrian government, maintaining relations with

Assad and vetoing all UN resolutions that punish Syria, just as Russia has done (Ramani,

2019)

The great powers have intervened in the Syrian civil war through two types of

mechanisms: multilateral diplomacy and unilateral measures. About multilateral diplomacy,

the states have made special use of two bodies: the peace conferences -called Geneva I and

Geneva II- and the UN Security Council. These scenarios have seen the clash of the different

types of preferences of the states involved, ranging from support for a political transition that

includes President al-Assad, to threats of sanctions, regime change and military interventions

(Ghotme, 2014).

In addition, one important factor is that Syria is in a region where various interests are

at stake among the various states that have intervened in this conflict. It is for this reason that

cooperation and alliances between the two sides have been an indispensable means of

preserving their interests and a mechanism for defense and authority (Ghotme, 2014).

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Diego Criollo -64161111
Valentina Robayo Garcia 64171150

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Over the years, we have seen that this war has significantly affected the entire

international community as it has left economic consequences around the world, millions of

innocent lives have been lost and it has generated a refugee crisis, among others. Of course,

everyone knows that there are powers that are intervening, either in support of the Basher Al-

Assad government or the opposition, especially militarily, but from the perspective of

realism, what is the real interest of countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States,

Russia and China to intervene in this war in Syria?

A key factor has been the intervention of regional and world powers, their military,

financial and political support for the government and the opposition has contributed directly

to the intensification and continuation of the fighting and turned Syria into a battlefield of a

war subsidiary. Regional powers have also been accused of fomenting sectarianism in what

was a largely secular state (BBC, 2018)

Syria, which is now approaching nine years of civil war, is the country for which the

UN will request more aid: 3.3 billion dollars for the interior and 5.2 billion for Syrian

refugees and their host communities in countries like Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan or Iraq. "The

conflict continues to generate the worst current refugee crisis, with 5.6 million in neighboring

countries, to which must be added 6 million internally displaced persons within Syria,"

Lowcock stressed (Mundo, 2020)

On political realism, which was born as a school of opinions and thought in

international relations that, in response to political idealism, we see it reflected in this war in

that the relationship between international actors is not benevolent but rather selfish and

competitive. . At first, the rebels had non-lethal assistance; But later, the United States began

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Valentina Robayo Garcia 64171150

to seek funding, weapons, and training. Later, he ended up admitting that part of this aid

ended up in the hands of terrorists who used it both against the government and civilians as

well as against the opposition (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 2014).

OBJECTIVES

In the first instance, this research aims to show the different implications that the

international community has due to the civil war in Syria, based on the realistic theory of

international relations.

And as a specific objective, it wants to understand what has been the process of

intervention and the real interests of the main international powers in the war in Syria,

whether for economic issues, issues of alliances, international power, and territorial interests,

among others.

STATE OF THE ART

We will make a recount of what originated the Syrian war, in this case recapitulate

that peaceful uprising against President Bashar al Assad in 2011 in the month of March,

taking into account that the Syrian war begins in the spring and was intended to fix situations

of discontent such as the high unemployment rate that was generated over many years,

extensive corruption, lack of political freedom and the repression of the government of

President Bashar al Assad, who had succeeded his father, Hafez, in 2000, but this uprising

ended in a brutal and bloody civil war which has attracted international and regional powers

(Gutierrez, 2015)

Throughout the uprising and during it, the opposition spread, which caused the

government's repression to increase, for this reason they began to use weapons in order to

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defend themselves and later to expel the security forces from their regions. Al Assad vowed

to "crush" what he called "foreign-supported terrorism" and restore state control. The

violence spread rapidly, forming many rebel brigades to fight the government forces and thus

gain control of cities and towns. (Rodgers, 2016)

As we said before, when fighting the government forces, we find thousands of people

who have been displaced by this event, the people who live there expose that disagreement in

which they find themselves and their fatigue, implying that all they want is to have stability

and a quiet life, they are exhausted by bombs and missiles dropped in civilian areas; for not

knowing what has happened to their missing or detained relatives (Jordan, 2019)

The conflict in Syria is characterized by frequent violations of international

humanitarian law: sieges, blockades, disproportionate attacks in urban areas, and attacks on

civilians and civilian services, such as ambulances, water supplies and markets. Maurer Peter

(2018) “Suffering is exacerbated when humanitarian workers are not allowed to do their job.

Humanitarian aid is not a political game and should not be part of the political process.”

(p.4).

From the years and the events that occurred, great powers have interests in the game

such as: the United States, Russia, France and Iran, although the US intervention does not

compare with that of Russia, which many blame for having changed the course of the war in

favor of Assad, they have been operating systematically amid the internal Syrian conflict

since at least 2014 (Blanchard, 2020)

We find less intervention by the United States Since the beginning of the civil war,

the government of Bashar al-Assad has accused the United States of having organized,

together with Saudi Arabia and Israel, the rebellion against his government, as well as of

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having financed terrorist groups in Syrian territory. This would have been done with the

intention of overthrowing his government and trying to establish one that was akin to his

interests. (Jordan, p. 44-55)

The Syrian regime has as its main allies Russia and Iran. Russia defends its influence

on the only "friend" susceptible to it in the region. Iran, different ideologically from the

"secular" Syrian regime, has given important support to Damascus, probably for two reasons:

The first is that Iran has a fundamental interest in maintaining its Syrian "corridor" to

continue its supply of arms and resources to Hezbollah in Lebanon. And second, the conflict

in Syria has emphasized the rivalry between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia in

presenting themselves as the legitimate leaders of Islam. Iran fears that if the regime in

Damascus, which is Saudi Arabia's enemy, falls, Saudi Arabia will achieve a major political

victory. (Gutierrez, 2015)

Otherwise, Iran is Al Assad's closest ally. Syria is the main transit point for weapons

that Tehran sends to the Shiite Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, which has also sent

thousands of fighters to support Syrian forces. And Tehran is believed to have spent billions

of dollars a year to strengthen Syrian government forces, offering military advisers, weapons,

credit, and oil. The influence of Iran, its main rival in the region, Saudi Arabia, has also sent

significant military and financial aid to the rebels, including groups with Islamist ideologies.

(Lopez, 2015)

Taking the foregoing into account, we can conclude that the United States has never

been fully committed to legitimately supporting this government characterized by its

"rebelliousness", it has been limited by the fear that weapons will end up in the hands of

jihadist groups, and President Donald Trump stressed that during his election campaign that

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the war in Syria was not one of the priorities of his government. Beyond the eloquent

financial aid. "We are prepared to maintain this response until the Syrian regime stops using

prohibited chemical agents," (Trump, 2019)

On the other hand, we highlight that the powers most involved are Russia and Iran in

political, financial and military aspects, therefore they are the ones who receive the greatest

gain in terms of power, but this also brings disadvantages, being the powers with the greatest

losses both in relation to combatants on the ground as well as the massive economic cost of

rescuing President Al Asad. (International, 2018).

From this we will make a context of the member countries: Iran, Saudi Arabia, the

United States, Russia and China to intervene in this war in Syria.

● Iran The Iranian regime is one of the main promoters of Syrian President Bashar al

Assad. He intervened for the first time in the Syrian conflict to help the Assad

government against the rebels and has collaborated with the Syrian regime against the

Islamic State. Iran has taken advantage of the chaos of the Syrian conflict to establish

a considerable military infrastructure in that territory. He has built and trained Shi'ite

militias made up of thousands of fighters and sent advisors to his powerful

Revolutionary Guard to Syrian military bases. (Chan, 2018)

● Saudi Arabia: a conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia. Both countries are said to have been involved in a proxy war in the

Middle East, in particular the Syrian civil war and the Yemeni civil war. The conflict

between the two regional powers has also been called the Middle East Cold War. The

conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia is on multiple levels, including most notably

the historical religious rivalry of the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam, as well as

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modern geopolitical competition for hegemony in the Middle East and economic

rivalry for control. of oil markets

● United State: US-Syria relations are the diplomatic relations between the United

States and Syria. Diplomatic relations between Syria and the United States currently

do not exist; they were suspended in 2012 after the start of the Syrian Civil War.

Priority issues between the two states include the Arab-Israeli conflict, the annexation

of the Golan Heights and the Iraq war. According to the 2012 US Global Leadership

Report, through a poll conducted during the Syrian Civil War, 29% of Syrians

approve of US leadership, with 40% disapproving and 31% of uncertainty.

● China: China and Syria maintain a sustained commercial and military relationship

over time; An example of this is that China has been one of the few countries that has

kept its embassy in Damascus operational without interruption. However, Chinese

interests in the Syrian conflict far transcend the nature of the residual relationship, in

commercial, historical and diplomatic terms - between the two countries. The Chinese

government sees the Syrian crisis as a golden opportunity to promote a regulatory

framework that strengthens and legitimizes China's influence in the world

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The theoretical framework of this research was based on the search for information

through a database of the chronology of the civil war in Syria, demonstrating the analytical

variables and expanding the vision of the armed conflict in Syria and based on the realistic

theory of international relations and the offensive current derived from it. All this, in the

context of the so-called Arab Spring that shook Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen

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Political realism is born from a viewpoint and a school of thought in international

relations, which responds to political idealism and considers the country as the supreme

entity. Although some Spanish speakers also stand out, this school has developed widely in

Germany, Great Britain, and the United States. (Schenoni, 2016, p.7).

The first realistic writers included classic characters such as Thucydides and

Machiavelli, but in contemporary time’s actors such as Kissinger, Morgenthau, Kennan, and

others have appeared.

We limit ourselves to give an account of the theories that would correspond to the so-

called political realism, represented in the 20th century by authors such as Edwin H. Carr

(2004), John Herz (1950) or Hans Morghentau (2006). These theories consider, in general,

that states are the main actors on the international scene, since there is no power structure

above them. This being the case, international relations would inevitably be of a conflictive

nature, marked by permanent competition to satisfy one's own interests. A competition that

is ultimately the struggle for one's own survival; that is, for the self-preservation of the State.

Given that the world of international relations is a world in permanent conflict, a context in

which anarchy reigns and where the state of nature prevails in the Hobbesian sense,

Machiavelli's old recommendations to discard any moral scruples that interfere with

conservation itself take on full value.

Also, realism established that all the countries of the world coexist in what is usually

called the international system, and the main characteristic of the international system is the

power struggle of the three parties. The countries will act in their own interest, what matters

most to them is to have the power to survive as autonomous entities. (Dougherty, 1981).

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Valentina Robayo Garcia 64171150

Based on this logic, it is restricted in current international relations theory and used as

a tool to address the behavior of state and non-state actors in the Syrian civil war through a

joint analysis in an attempt to contain the threat. Discarding ethical considerations to ensure

their security in the anarchy and the competitive and unstable regional system. While some of

them may wish to become regional leaders, such as Saudi Arabia or Turkey, another group of

participants (such as Iran and Hezbollah) are committed to maintaining a certain level of

balance. In this regard, the war in Syria played a key role in containing or expanding the

aspirations of neighboring countries.

On the other hand, it is important to mention that, in relation to the Syrian war, it has

been found that there is a remarkable focus on offensive realism that is applicable to all major

countries. It has a number of principles that characterize it: great powers have offensive

capabilities and can harm each other, countries determine with uncertainty another country's

intentions, accumulated profits, survival is the main goal, and great powers do not have a

sufficient level of power. (Ghotme, 2014).

Syria is a serious case. Assad is winning the war. The best result is now when Assad

controls the national and western urban centers and fights the rebel factions in the poor and

less populated western regions. Assad's regime is likely to remain in power for many years,

and Syria will become a major strategic and humanitarian problem for at least another

decade.

Finally, therefore, despite the risks, it is still worth accepting that Saudi Arabia will

lead the fundraising and full arming of the rebels. The Saudi Ministry of Interior has reached

a certain level of insurgency that the United States cannot match, and has constantly

demonstrated that it is improving its ability to manage the transfer of funds and weapons to

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insurgents who do not support terrorism or extremism, showing that there will always be

interest on the part of the larger countries to intervene in this war.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, research shows that the great powers have intervened conveniently in

the civil war in Syria, especially because there is a marked rivalry between the United States

and Russia, which have fought for the greatest possible power as a world power. This is also

based on the theory of political realism in international relations, in which the main thing is to

show the greatest power and, on the part of Syria, there is a dispute between the government

and civilians because the government has misused force and the community is tired of being

a victim of the abuse of power.

Likewise, it is important to emphasize that political realism can be recognized as a

model of analysis for international relations, a philosophical position, which conditions both

the premises of its thought and the objectives of its theory, of a normative type. This essential

character of the work, especially of Morgenthau, who is an author too important for realism,

reappears continuously in the debates that arise in the discipline. Undoubtedly, the historical

conditions of the country that produces most of the theory in this field determine the level of

acceptance of the philosophical principles of the aforementioned authors.

Finally, we can be said that, for both sides, it can also be beneficial for the great

powers to intervene because, the more allies, the greater control and power there can be. The

problem is that, as a result, the war would probably never end, leaving the international

community with millions of security problems, such as immigrants, the destruction of Syria's

heritage, tensions between the great powers and, in addition, a significant increase in the

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number of innocent lives claimed in this country, which would eventually lead to extreme

poverty in that country.

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