Global IssuesSyria Unrest
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Introduction
Syria is one of the oldest places where civilization has thought to have started. Its capital, Damascus, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Throughout history it has seen many changes, violent and otherwise.
Today it is comprised of a number of ethnic groups, mostly Arab, though a reasonable number of Kurds, Armenians are also present. There have also been a number of Iraqi refugees and the main Arab group are themselves from different sects and denominations.
Around January 2011, following on from the Arab Spring where protests against ruling regimes erupted in a number of Middle East countries, protesters in Syria came out demanding President Bashar al-Assad and his government step down. In response, Assad sent in troops with some cities and regions being besieged for weeks and months. Both pro and anti-government protest gatherings have at times been large.
Criticism of Syria’s crackdown has been quite widespread. The Arab League has responded by suspending Syria’s membership. Syria claims that it is fighting an insurgency that is terrorist by nature and claimed Al Qaeda is involved. It has not been possible to verify that claim so many see it as a cynical excuse.
The ruling regime is a sect of Shia, so has support from Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah, while the opposition is largely Sunni, thus receiving support from other Middle East countries, such as Saudi Arabia and others.
Thousands have been killed — civilians and armed combatants. Some are asking the West for a military intervention like there was in Libya, but the US in particular is not keen on another military intervention even though they have been openly hostile and critical of the Syrian ruling regime for many years.
China and Russia also have close ties with Syria and to date have not been keen on any action condemning Syria and have even vetoed some actions. Some papers have reported Iran and others helping Syria with weapons, while others also mentioned the opposition being armed by the West.
Mainstream media coverage is of course part of the issue; understandably the brutal regime crackdown has been met with shock, horror, etc. But the coverage has also been one-sided in the sense that similar types of violence committed by US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan do not receive similar criticism, but much flatter and measured reporting instead. Media Lens covers this point in much more detail pointing out many propaganda problems in mainstream media coverage and is worth reading.
News stories from IPS
Below is a list of stories from Inter Press Service related to the Syrian uprising
‘Fragility and hope’ mark new era in Syria amid ongoing violence and aid struggles
- UN News
UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen briefed the Security Council on Tuesday, pointing to the devastating violence on the coast earlier this month, which marked a grim new chapter in Syria’s fragile transition to a lasting peace.
Syria's humanitarian crisis: 16.5 million in need amid continuing conflict
- UN News
The legacy of the Syrian conflict, which saw the overthrow of the Assad regime in December last year, is that 16.5 million people are in dire need of assistance, making it one of the largest humanitarian crises globally, a senior UN humanitarian said on Thursday.
Human Rights Council focuses on Iran, Syria, Venezuela
- UN News
Top independent experts reported to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, putting the records of Iran, Syria and Venezuela under the spotlight during the 47-member body’s latest session.
Syria: Relative of Assad regime’s disappeared speaks of anguish in search for truth and justice
- UN News
A relative of two Syrians tortured and murdered by the Assad regime has spoken of the anguish caused by their enforced disappearance during the country’s civil war.
Funding shortages risk undermining a ‘watershed moment’ for Syria
- UN News
Fourteen years of war have left Syria’s people in desperate need – but international support is dwindling, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday, calling for urgent investment in the country’s recovery.
‘Is this just a long, beautiful dream?’: Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab on her country’s future
- UN News
For Waad Al-Kateab, the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria in December 2024 felt almost unreal. “I thought the ending of my story was dying in exile,” she told UN News. “And it just happened out of the blue.”
‘Time for bold moves’: UN urges inclusive transition as Syria marks 14 years of conflict
- UN News
Marking 14 years since the start of the Syrian conflict, top UN officials raised alarm over renewed violence and growing instability, warning that without urgent action, Syria’s fragile transition could be at risk.
‘Brighter future hangs in the balance’ in Syria after 14 years of war
- UN News
The Constitutional Declaration issued by Syria’s caretaker authorities marks a pivotal moment in the country’s turbulent transition, with UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen expressing cautious optimism about its potential to fill a legal vacuum and pave the way for a “credible and inclusive political transition”.
World News in Brief: Syria families executed, Duterte arrested on ICC warrant, Sudan’s healthcare collapse
- UN News
Days of violence against Syria’s mainly ethnic Alawite communities have included the summary execution of entire families, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, confirmed on Tuesday.
Syria: Children among the dead amid reports of mass killings and looting
- UN News
Children are feared to be among more than 1,000 people reportedly killed in fierce fighting over the weekend in Syria’s coastal northwest, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said.
UN rights chief raises alarm over escalating violence in Syria
- UN News
The killing of civilians in coastal areas in northwest Syria must cease immediately, the UN rights chief said on Sunday following a series of coordinated attacks reportedly launched by elements of the former government and other local armed men.
Syria: Up to one million people plan to return home in desperation
- UN News
Up to one million desperate Syrians living in camps and displacement sites across the country’s northwest intend to return home within the next year – sparking deep concerns of a new humanitarian crisis.
Post-Assad Syria faces critical test over eliminating chemical weapons
- UN News
The fall of the Assad regime has created a historic opportunity to rid Syria of chemical weapons and ensure long-term compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the UN’s top disarmament official told the Security Council on Friday.
Syrians’ hopes for a better future depend on justice for the disappeared, Human Rights Council hears
- UN News
The people of Syria’s painful search for a peaceful future took centre stage at the UN on Wednesday as one leading representative of the families of the country’s forcibly disappeared spoke of the continuing pain of not knowing their fate.
UN envoy strongly condemns continuing Israeli attacks inside Syria
- UN News
The UN Special Envoy for Syria on Tuesday condemned ongoing Israeli attacks inside Syrian territory and continuing violations in and around the demilitarised zone created as part of a 1974 ceasefire agreement.
Syria: UN scales up aid deliveries as regional fighting continues
- UN News
UN humanitarians on Wednesday reported a scaling up of humanitarian aid into northwest Syria, even as hostilities continue to impact civilians and limit access in different parts of the country.
UNDP calls for long-term investment to support recovery in Syria
- UN News
Accelerating economic recovery is critical to reverse Syria’s decline and restore stability, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report published on Thursday.
Syria: Mine casualties persist as UN partners scale up clearance operations
- UN News
Explosive ordnance continues to claim lives across Syria, with more than 430 deaths and injuries reported since December, nearly a third of them children, according to Stéphane Dujarric, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Syria: Thousands of displaced head home, but many refugees still wary
- UN News
More than 825,000 people who were displaced within Syria have returned to their areas of origin since December, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Thursday.
Peace by chocolate: One Syrian refugee family’s journey to sweet success
- UN News
Cacao, sugar and butter are part of the recipe for chocolate, more specifically, Peace by Chocolate – a company started by the Hadhad family, who fled to Canada long before the brutal 13-year-long war in Syria came to a close last December.
Security Council: Syrian leaders urged to prioritise inclusive transition
- UN News
The UN Special Envoy for Syria on Wednesday called on the country’s caretaker authorities to make the transition to democratic rule inclusive, warning that transparency, rule of law and fair elections – particularly for women taking part – remain key concerns.
‘We all have someone missing’: Families of the thousands of Syrians ‘disappeared’ by Assad regime share stories of loss
- UN News
Tens of thousands of people went missing in Syria during the Assad family’s rule, which stretches back to the early 1970s. A UN body set up to discover their whereabouts has been hearing the testimony of family members of the disappeared during a visit to the capital, Damascus, described as a “step on the path to truth.”
Syria: Chemical weapons watchdog hits reset button in Damascus, following productive meetings
- UN News
In a significant move towards eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons programme, the head of the UN-backed international watchdog dedicated to ending the scourge has been visiting Damascus, together with a high-level delegation.
Syria: Assad’s armed forces must face accountability, says rights probe
- UN News
Widespread pillaging and the destruction of property in Syria by all parties to the conflict have largely gone unpunished and likely amount to war crimes, top independent rights investigators reporting to the Human Rights Council maintained on Thursday.
Deadly attacks in eastern Aleppo highlight Syria’s vulnerability
- UN News
The United Nations on Tuesday condemned a deadly car bomb attack in the Syrian city of Manbij that killed 20 people, mostly women, and left many others critically injured.
Hidden Danger: How War Remnants Threaten Syrian Lives
- Inter Press Service
IDLIB, Syria, Feb 03 (IPS) - When 42-year-old Amina al-Hassan's family returned home after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, her son stood on a landmine.
Syria: Special Envoy applauds ‘shared conviction’ among Syrians on political transition
- UN News
The UN Special Envoy for Syria said on Monday that Syrians across the political spectrum share a deep conviction that the country’s political transition must succeed.
Syria: Hostilities and aid challenges persist across devastated country
- UN News
Humanitarians warned on Thursday that Syria continues to face major security and aid challenges in the northeast and beyond, in the uncertain aftermath of the overthrow of the Assad regime.
Syria: Rights probe reveals systematic torture and detention of Assad regime
- UN News
A report from UN human rights investigators for Syria released on Monday has laid bare the systematic use of arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances by the deposed Assad regime.
What’s UNDOF? Why UN peacekeepers patrol the Israel-Syria border
- UN News
More than 1,100 UN peacekeepers are currently deployed in the Golan, a demilitarised zone along the Israel-Syria border at what is a tense and dangerous time in the history of the region. But, why are the Blue Helmets there?
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