The Syrian Civil War: An international conflict

The order to strike Syria, which was previously made by former President Barack Obama, and the recent strike ordered by President Trump are part of a conflict known as the Syrian Civil War. The chemical weapon attacks in Syria, the Islamic State, and the travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries are events linked to this conflict. While many people might be aware of these major events, they don’t know how the civil war started and other important details about it.

According to BBC, the tension in Syria began with pro-democracy protesters demanding the resignation of President Bashar al- Assad. These protests began in the city of Deraa and spread across the nation as the Syrian government began to use violence to the stop the protesters. The demonstrations and protest turned into an armed rebellion beginning on March 15, 2011, and has been ongoing. The Syrian government has attacked its own people with chemical weapons, and all of the warring parties have committed war crimes against civilians, including the blocking of food, water, and health services. The warring parties have also prohibited humanitarian agencies from helping civilians who are affected by this civil war. This has contributed to the lack of basic necessities like food and safe drinking water. In addition, millions of children are not attending school. As a result, the conflict in Syria has civilians looking for refuge in Europe and the U.S. More than 4.5 million have left the country and 6.5 million have been internally displaced within Syria. After he was elected president, Trump created an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees, which means that the length of the ban is unknown.

The Syrian Civil War has become an international conflict as others have gotten involved in Syria. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which was created after a civil war in Iraq, has tried to take advantage of the conflict in Syria to gain more power in the Middle East. The Islamic State has not only caused conflict in the Middle East, but has gone global; they have done terrorist attacks in France, other European nations, and the U.S.

According to the New York Times, The United Nations has acknowledged the conflict and The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has gotten  involved. Initially, President Assad had agreed to remove all chemical weapons, but the OPCW continues to document the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government. The U.S., U.K. and France have ordered strikes to what they say are “chemical weapon sites” in Syria. The U.S. President ordered a strike on Douma, Syria after suspected chemical attacks took place.

On the night the strikes were ordered, Trump addressed the nation and said, “American, British and French responses to these atrocities will integrate all instruments of our national power: military, economic and diplomatic. We are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents.” Trump also addressed Russia’s alliance with Syria; he stated, “Russia must decide if it will continue down this dark path or if it will join with civilized nations as a force for stability and peace.” Russia and Iran have an alliance with Assad and have supported him during this civil war while the U.S., U.K., and France have an alliance with the rebels. These alliances have caused tension between the nations.

This tension between nations has created the idea of World War III. This has been circulating around the internet through various memes on social media. Is a third world war a possibility? U.S. History teacher, Mr. Ramos, explains that it is very unlikely and that, “we have learned our lesson after WWI and WWII.”

“Countries depend on each other,” said Mr. Ramos. A third world war would not be economically beneficial for any country. Countries are dependent of each other to have access to resources by trade, and having a war would prevent countries from accessing resources they need to make a profit. 

Trump’s core supporters are anti-immigration and as president, Trump is focused on getting reelected. It was reasonable for Trump to create the travel ban for election purposes. Mr. Ramos stated, “Only 44 Syrian refugees have been accepted in the last six months.” This civil war has become an immigration issue because Syrians are being forced to leave Syria and enter Europe or the U.S. as refugees. The U.S. and other nations are getting involved in this civil war because it has become an international conflict and human rights are being violated. Although World War III is unlikely, this civil war still has unknown consequences.

When asked if he believed Trump was being reasonable when he said that the strikes he ordered were to help Syrians while he has prevented Syrians from entering the United States as refugees, Mr. Ramos explained that it is reasonable for Trump to do this. The involvement of the U.S. in Syria is to help the rebels get Assad out of power and that would stop the civil war.

When the global rules and standards that keep us safe come under threat – we must take a stand and defend them pic.twitter.com/ToOnKsiHrd

— Foreign Office 🇬🇧 (@foreignoffice) April 14, 2018