Summary
Highlights
Syria's population is predominantly Sunni Muslim (74%), but the government is led by Bashar Al-Assad, a Shia Muslim. His father, Hafez Al-Assad, seized power in 1970 through a coup and consolidated his power by suppressing Sunni-led parties and favoring Shia populations. This established a dictatorship that continued under Bashar Al-Assad after his father's death in 2000, leading to resentment among the Sunni majority.
From 2006 to 2010, Syria faced severe drought, exacerbating economic difficulties, unemployment, and poverty. Simultaneously, the Arab Spring movement was sweeping across neighboring countries like Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, with people rebelling against dictatorships and demanding democracy. News of these successful protests, amplified by social media, reached Syria, causing fear within Bashar Al-Assad's regime.
In February 2011, a 14-year-old boy named Mouawiya Syasneh wrote anti-government graffiti on a school wall in Daraa, referencing Bashar Al-Assad as 'Dr. Assad.' Mouawiya and 14 other students were arrested and brutally tortured by Syrian security forces. When parents sought their release, they were met with insults, leading to peaceful protests in Daraa. The government's continued arrests and refusal to release the children fueled wider public outrage across Syria.
Despite the release of the tortured children after 45 days, their visible injuries intensified public anger. On April 22, 2011, known as 'Friday of Dignity,' protests turned violent, with anti-government slogans and clashes. Syrian forces responded by firing bullets into crowds, killing two people. The government's use of tanks and helicopters against protestors further inflamed the situation, leading to widespread protests in 20 cities and calls for Bashar Al-Assad's resignation.
The government's violent crackdown caused soldiers to defect and form the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on July 29, 2011, with the goal of overthrowing Bashar Al-Assad. Extremist groups and the Islamic State of Iraq (later ISIS) also joined the FSA, seeking to expand their influence. Simultaneously, ethnic Kurds in northeastern Syria saw an opportunity to establish their own autonomous region, leading to a multi-front conflict involving the Syrian government, FSA, ISIS, and Kurdish forces. Sunni-majority countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar supported the FSA, while Shia-majority Iran and Russia backed Bashar Al-Assad, with the US providing covert support to the FSA and later intervening against ISIS.
In 2012, a bombing targeting Syrian government officials intensified Bashar Al-Assad's resolve, leading to severe retaliation against the FSA. Faced with persistent rebel activity, especially in Ghouta, the Syrian government used chemical weapons, specifically sarin nerve agent, on August 21, 2013, killing numerous civilians, including women and children. This act, a major war crime, drew international condemnation, but Russia and China used their veto power in the UN Security Council to protect Bashar Al-Assad from sanctions or military intervention. Despite this, the US, under President Obama, responded with targeted military strikes.
By 2015, Turkey had also entered the conflict, targeting Kurdish forces. Syria became a complex battleground where numerous superpowers, rebel groups, and terrorist organizations fought for their own interests. The ongoing conflict resulted in over 4 lakh deaths, 80% of the population falling into poverty, and a mass exodus of refugees. The conflict, dubbed the 'first social media war,' saw all factions using digital platforms to shape narratives. As of today, the war continues, stemming from a small protest and the stubbornness of Bashar Al-Assad, transforming what began as a 14-year-old's act of defiance into a protracted humanitarian crisis.