Syria Unrest — Global Issues

By Creavibe

September 19, 2025

0

8

by Anup Shah
This web page Created Tuesday, June 05, 2012

This web page: https://www.globalissues.org/article/799/syria.
To print all data (e.g. expanded facet notes, exhibits different hyperlinks), use the print model:

On this web page:

Introduction
News tales from IPS

Introduction

Syria is among the oldest locations the place civilization has thought to have began. Its capital, Damascus, is among the oldest constantly inhabited cities on this planet. Throughout historical past it has seen many adjustments, violent and in any other case.

Today it’s comprised of a variety of ethnic teams, largely Arab, although an affordable variety of Kurds, Armenians are additionally current. There have additionally been a variety of Iraqi refugees and the primary Arab group are themselves from completely different sects and denominations.

Around January 2011, following on from the Arab Spring the place protests towards ruling regimes erupted in a variety of Middle East international locations, protesters in Syria got here out demanding President Bashar al-Assad and his authorities step down. In response, Assad despatched in troops with some cities and areas being besieged for weeks and months. Both professional and anti-government protest gatherings have at instances been giant.

Image: Demonstrations in Hom. Credit: Bo yaser

Criticism of Syria’s crackdown has been fairly widespread. The Arab League has responded by suspending Syria’s membership. Syria claims that it’s combating an insurgency that’s terrorist by nature and claimed Al Qaeda is concerned. It has not been attainable to confirm that declare so many see it as a cynical excuse.

The ruling regime is a sect of Shia, so has help from Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah, whereas the opposition is basically Sunni, thus receiving help from different Middle East international locations, akin to Saudi Arabia and others.

Thousands have been killed — civilians and armed combatants. Some are asking the West for a navy intervention like there was in Libya, however the US particularly will not be eager on one other navy intervention although they’ve been overtly hostile and significant of the Syrian ruling regime for a few years.

Image: Pro-Assad Rally. Credit: Newtown grafitti

China and Russia even have shut ties with Syria and thus far haven’t been eager on any motion condemning Syria and have even vetoed some actions. Some papers have reported Iran and others serving to Syria with weapons, whereas others additionally talked about the opposition being armed by the West.

Mainstream media protection is after all a part of the difficulty; understandably the brutal regime crackdown has been met with shock, horror, and so forth. But the protection has additionally been one-sided within the sense that related varieties of violence dedicated by US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan don’t obtain related criticism, however a lot flatter and measured reporting as an alternative. Media Lens covers this level in rather more element declaring many propaganda issues in mainstream media protection and is value studying.

Back to high