Report on the intervention in Syria

It all started when pro-democratic insurgents and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's dynastic

regime engaged in a long-running conflict in Syria known as the Syrian Civil War. Syrian

authorities and their president Bashar al Assad faced issues in March of 2011 when people

started protests throughout the nation in favor of a democratic government. Hafiz al Assad,

Bashar al-Assad's father, had begun authoritarian practices in 1971, and they wanted to put an

end to those practices. Syrian authorities have responded to the protests with violence and have

been taking down innocent protesters to what they believe took the situation under control. To

combat this violence, reserve groups were formed in 2011. In an interview, Bashar al Assad was

asked if he expected the protests that had toppled authoritarian regimes elsewhere. Syria's

President Assad acknowledged that many Syrians were experiencing economic hardship and that

progress toward political reform had been slow. After a series of protests in 2012, a full-fledged

civil war ensued. The Syrian president was nevertheless confident that Syria would be spared

from U.S. and Israel attack since the Syrian government took a position in support of its citizens.

Although his situation is precarious, the protests that followed this interview made it clear that he

was not ready to admit to that. Sectarian tensions were evident from the start of the uprising and

in the response of the regime. Assad's family is a member of the country's Alawite minority,

while most protesters were Sunni Muslims. According to Paul R. Williams and Michael P.

Scharf, the book "The Syrian Conflict's Impact on International Law" offers a concise guide to

the conflict and the international law that governs the activity of most terrorist groups and armed

opposition forces in Syria. Syria has ratified numerous human rights conventions, and codified

international agreements such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the CWC in

1993. Yet, during the conflict, violations have been reported within the country. Recently, the

regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad has been progressively pushing towards neutralizing
relations with a number of the states that had formally supported the opposition after the

outbreak of Syria’s civil war ten years ago. Two significant milestones in recent weeks suggest

that momentum is shifting in favor of Bashar. Regaining control over most of the inhabited

Syrian regions, Assad is now put up against the task of putting the broken nation of Syria

together. Although realigning Syria might be Assad’s priority, he does not have the funds to do it

and nations like the US who do have the funds, are not keen to provide any funds without regime

change. On the global scale, Syria is beginning to shift off the international agenda. Although

nations like Russia and Turkey are still keeping a close eye on the situation, interest is

diminishing among other elements, consisting of the United States, an immense change

compared to the early stages of the conflict, when Syria served as a surrogate battlefront for both

local and global powers. 

In spite of the fact that the Syrian citizens were only negatively impacted by the Syrian Civil

War, several attempts were made to improve the situation and quite a few were successful.

UNICEF also known as the United Nations Children's Fund, is on ground in Syria and has been

working across the region to protect the children stuck between the conflict, they have made

numerous efforts to help them cope with the impact the civil war has had on their lives and is

trying to revive their childhoods. This includes improving children’s mental health for them to

recover from the trauma and restore a sense of normalcy. UNICEF has also worked on

improving the access to education these children have alongside providing essential

humanitarian aid in isolated districts of Syria. Some other successes of the UNICEF in Syria

include screening 2.6 million children and women for acute malnutrition, improved water supply

to an estimated 3.2 million people, supported 2.2 million children with education services in
formal settings, provided micronutrients to 1.6 million children and pregnant and lactating

women, vaccinated around 2.6 million children under 5 through polio campaigns, Reached 1.3

million people with explosive hazards risk education. Another success the international

community has achieved was helping those fleeing the state desperate for a new life. Due to the

conflict, families and citizens of Syria have been displaced from their homes which they have

possessed for decades, these people were desperate to find a way out of this seemingly never-

ending conflict at the cost of leaving everything behind other than their loved ones. Nations like

Turkey and Greece have been two of the main regions these refugees have headed to in search of

a new life; these countries have received these refugees with open arms, where most of them

were given PRs (Permanent Resident) which allows them to be a part of a community flourishing

with new opportunities and has given them an opportunity to stay away from human right

abuses’ and the daily stress of thinking which day would be their last. Although this devastating

Syrian situation is not a global headline anymore, many nations and other support groups such as

the UNICEF and UN’s other counterparts have extended their support to the people of Syria

which shows how successful the international community has been with the situation and how

the global community has affected the lives of the innocent Syrian civilians caught in the middle

of this crossfire. 

Although there have been many successes on the Syrian Civil War where support groups and

nations globally have stepped in and intervened to prevent all sorts of human rights’ violations

taking place in Syria, there are many problems which the Syrian community is still facing. The

Syrian civilian population faced another year of acute challenges and abuse, primarily at the

hands of the Syrian government and other authorities, although violent conflict appeared to be
waning. The young generation is petrified and has many concerns with regards to their future as

they face many problems in their daily lives because of ongoing violence and displacement.

Some key issues the Syrian youth faces are - Damaged schools, school structures across the

nation have not been shielded from my conflict. Most of these buildings are damaged and the

number of undamaged buildings and time have a negative correlation. The buildings which do

survive are mostly used as a form of camp for those displaced from their homes.  Lack of

documentation, as these Syrian citizens left leaving everything behind to other regions of the

nation or even other countries, they no longer have evidence to prove their educational

achievements or even re-enroll at an appropriate level for further education. Cost of Schooling,

although some places still have fully operating schools with students who also have the

documentation, families are often unable to afford school fees, uniforms or travel costs. Young

people having to work, child marriage, trauma, conscription, unemployment and lack of hope are

just some examples of the issues this Syrian generation faces on a daily basis. From an economic

standpoint, the nation has been struggling with its national currency continues to lose value,

further international sanctions have been imposed and region wide crises have only damaged the

Syrian economy which resulted in a freefall during most of 2020. As a result, Syrians of lower

and middle classes were unable to afford basic necessities such as essential drugs, procure food,

and all other sorts of necessities. Consequently, more than 9.3 million Syrians face food

insecurity, and more than 80 percent of Syrians live below the poverty line. These are the

challenges the Syrian community has been facing ever since the Syrian Civil War begun and

although many Syrians migrated to European nations in search of a better life, many Syrians are

still stuck in the nation trapped from all directions with Bashar al-Assad's  regime on one side

and other militant groups on the other. 

 

In order to successfully evaluate the extent of successes, it is essential to analyze if human rights’

violations have been put to a standstill. In September 2013, after deadly chemical weapons

attacks, the West accused Damascus of committing, Syria's close ally Russia urged it to join the

chemical weapons convention. By August 2014, President Bashar al-Assad's government

declared the destruction of its chemical weapons program. Syria getting rid of its chemical

weapons is just one example of Syria’s successes in recent times. The UNHCR has provided life-

saving aid and has been generous with regards to aid provided to the Syrian refugees, helping

them with medical aid like providing medicines and many other basic necessities such as tents,

winter clothing, thermal blankets, stoves and fuel for heating. Although, there have been multiple

attempts from international communities to heal this situation, the extent of these successes has

not been enough to positively impact all civilians. Over 5700 children - some a little over seven

years old - were recruited into the fighting between 2011 and 2020, as verified data shows; Over

1,300 educational facilities and medical staff have been attacked. As a result of continued

exposure to violence, shock and trauma, the number of children reporting symptoms of

psychosocial distress doubled in 2020. Whilst, the UNHCR’s efforts have not completely gone in

vain as they continue to provide aid in Syria and are committed towards saving these innocent

families from both physical and mental disturbance. It is safe to say that these efforts have been

quite successful considering how many families are living a stable life again as the UNHCR

continues their efforts to improve the situation.

To control this situation, it is essential that countries push for an end to this conflict. In the long

term, a durable political solution will be the only way to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis. It is
easier to agree to provide humanitarian assistance when the UN security council and other power

brokers are involved. It does not replace a long-term political solution; however effective the

humanitarian response may be. Funding for development actors to improve infrastructure in host

countries (example: water systems) and support for the education and health sectors will also

have to be flexible. Solutions will need to be designed that allow both host communities and

refugees to better support themselves; we need the active participation of development actors in

the overall process. Refugees need to have a safe haven to go to while they escape the war. It is

necessary for neighboring countries to allow refugees in, but they also need assistance in

continuing to receive them. A wealthy country in the west, as well as those in the Gulf and

elsewhere, can and should do three very specific things: provide more money for humanitarian

aid, help the main host nations cope with the situation, and resettle more vulnerable refugees.

These are just a few recommendations on how the Syrian crisis’s damage can be minimized and

hopefully put to bed.