At the beginning of this class, my understanding of the politics and events in the Middle East were minimal at best. All I really knew was that there were very serious events going on in the Middle East, specifically in and around Syria. As the class began, I began to understand why there was so much unrest around the Middle East and with this project, I sought to have a deeper understanding of the Syrian Civil War, its contenders, and its stakeholders around the world. For a little background information, the Syrian Civil War began on March 15, 2011 when protests in Damascus and the southern city of Deraa demanded the release of political prisoners. During the protests, the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s security forces shot a number of people dead in Deraa, which triggered days of violent unrest that steadily spread throughout the nation. Since then, it is estimated that 310,000 people have been killed in the conflict, 3.9 million people have fled Syria as refugees, 7.6 million have been driven from their homes, and 12.5 million are in need of immediate life-saving aid, as of April 2015, according to an article posted to CNN.

Now that you are familiar with the numbers of the Syrian Civil War, I’d like to introduce the stakeholders. The main stakeholder is of course, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his Regime, followed by his close allies, China and Russia. In a recent blog entry titled, “Chinese and Russian Relations,” it has two artifacts that show just how close these countries are. China and Russia both back Syria and, as stated in the blog, they will defend them against powers such as the United States. One difference between the two is that Russia has much more to loose within this conflict since they are providing arms to the Syrian government, while China seems to be only providing moral support. In another blog entry titled, “The Syrian Government and its Allies, Both New & Old” it shows how the Syrian government would like for Russia to expand their influence in the Middle East in order to counter the expansion of the United States. A great deal of my blog deals with the relationship between Russia, China, and the Syrian government as they seem to be some of the biggest supporters of the Syrian regime, but they are not the only ones. In the same post as before, I also discuss how other Middle Eastern countries such as Tunisia, have decided to reconcile their ties with the Regime in order to counter a greater threat, rebel groups such as the Islamic State of Iran and Syria (ISIS). This reconnection came after an attack on a museum in Tunisia which killed numerous foreigners and it greatly affected the tourist industry within Tunisia as stated on a recent Reuters article. With the backing of two superpowers such as Russia and China, and its re-connection with Tunisia, it seems that the Syrian government has begun to regain some power, internationally at least. This does not necessarily mean it will bring an end to the war as there are still various opposition groups within Syria fighting against Assad.

Speaking of being against Assad, let us now look at those who oppose Assad’s regime, internationally. While Assad has begun to reconnect with other Middle Eastern countries, it does not necessarily mean that all of the Middle East will want to join him. In fact, Jordan, one of the countries that border Syria, has made no attempt to reconcile with the Syrian regime, in fact, they have done the complete opposite. In a blog post titled, “Syria & Jordan Relations” I discuss how because of the growing violence in Syria, Jordan has closed down two of its border crossings that connect with Syria. Unlike Tunisia, Jordan has closed itself off even more from Syria despite the threat that knocks at their door. Turkey is another country who is not pleased with the Syrian regime. While Turkey has been one of the main countries hosting Syrian refugees, they have been greatly criticized due to the rising numbers of foreign fighters entering Syria through Turkey. In a blog post titled, “Turkey Criticized Over Role In Syrian Conflict” it shows how, despite its recent criticism, Turkey has been doing a lot to stop the flood of foreign fighters into Syria. They also decided to close down a border crossing on its border with Syria due to the rising violence but they would still allow humanitarian aid which shows that while Turkey is largely opposed to the violence, they are still willing to aid the people of Syria.

In another blog entry titled, “Turkey and Syrian Relations” I state how the relationship between these two governments has been rough especially since Turkey had a tomb of a very special person in Syria and because of the threat of rebel groups attempting to destroy it, they evacuated it without really saying much the regime. This shows just how little respect Turkey now has for Assad and his regime. Another country who has little regard for Syria is France, which can be seen in my blog entry, “Rising Tensions Between France & Syria.” Recently, France sent a few diplomats to Syria in the attempt to reconnect with them due to the threat of rebel groups reaching Paris. In the end, France decided against it, as well as Britain in a later article, both stating that if they retied their ties it “would likely end all hope of a political transition and push moderates into the arms of radical Islamist groups.” The significance of this is that while there are a few countries who are beginning to reconnect with Syria, the majority will continue to oppose them. World powers such as France & Britain want nothing to do with them, and having as much influence as they do, it means most countries will take their side and not Assad’s. These stakeholders are by no means the only ones, but they are some of the most prominent stakeholders of this year at least.

The major stakeholders have been named, but what are there perspectives as far as perspectives of globalization go? There are many opposing views here but if I had to lump all the stakeholders into two groups, I would put those who support Assad as the political realist, while those who oppose him would fall under the category of political idealist. Just to note, not all of the groups have the same views and perspectives, but in the name of time and space, this is how I feel they all fit in general terms. The define these terms, a political realist believes in a strong central government with little intervention from outside forces while the political idealist believes that while war can be necessary, they should do everything in their power in order to try to reduce its impact, if not avoid it entirely. They also believe in international ties in order to avoid war and while a strong government is good, there need to be more things within the government to balance it out.

While doing my own research, we also read Controversies in Globalization edited by Peter M. Haas and John A. Hird. Within this book there were a variety of topics and the one that I felt related the most to my topic was the fifth chapter “Terrorism and Security: Is International Terrorism a Significant Challenge to National Security.” This chapter showed two sides to the controversy, Charles Duelfer believes that international terrorism is a significant challenge  to national security and it is only going to grow larger. There are certain trends that are becoming apparent in the post 9/11 decade and, according to Duelfer, one must pick up these trends in order to better prepare for terrorism. This is something that Tunisia has tried to do with their reconnection with the Syrian government. On the other hand, John Mueller believes that while there is a certain threat of international terrorism, there is more of a threat in the overreaction to it. The Western countries such as France and Britain shows this very well as they have been very patient and thoughtful in their endeavors in Syria. As an example, France was directly attacked by a terrorist organization and while they considered reconnect their ties with Syria, they eventually decided against it as they saw that that road would not lead to any good for anyone, except maybe Assad. Someone who I feel would fall in the middle of these two would be Turkey and Jordan as they have taken some military actions by closing down their borders but then again they haven’t gone so far as to provoke war with Syria, or some of the rebel groups.

The research I have done throughout the semester and the readings and assignments done for class have been very intense and eye opening. If it were not for this class, I would still be very blind to the events in the Middle East. This is especially true with the Civil War going on in Syria. The war has been going on for about 4 years now and there seems to be no end insight. With all of the different stakeholders in this conflict, the end of the war is likely not near despite recent peace talks, which ended in failure. With all this research I have done, I am interested to see where the conflict will lead and if other countries in the Middle East, or around the world, will reconnect with the Syrian regime or if they will further distance themselves from them and support another group within Syria.

Throughout the semester I have been researching the Syrian Government, the Islamic State within Syria, and both of their connection or allies in the battle for Syria but towards the end of the semester I focused more on the Syrian Government. For a little background information, the Syrian Civil War began on March 15, 2011 when protests in Damascus and the southern city of Deraa demand the release of political prisoners. During the protests, security forces shoot a number of people dead in Deraa, which triggered days of violent unrest that steadily spread throughout the nation. Since then the violence has escalated which has really made or broke political ties with Syria. As many are aware, Russia has been one of the closest allies to Assad and his regime. In this blog entry titled “The Syrian Government and its Allies, Both Old & New” it shows how Assad would like for Russia to expand their influence throughout the Middle East in order to counter the expansion of the United States and its allies. It also shows how due to outside threats such as radical rebels, other Middle Eastern countries are beginning to reconnect with Syria such as Tunisia.

While other Middle Eastern countries are beginning to reconnect with Syria, other Western countries are not so sure. In a blog entry titled “Rising Tensions between France & Syria,” it states how France and Britain was considering reestablishing ties with Assad for the same reason as Tunisia, to counter a greater threat such as ISIS. Alas, both countries decided against it as Britain states reestablishing ties “would likely end all hope of a political transition and push moderates into the arms of radical Islamist groups.” The Syrian government lost many political ties at the beginning of the Civil War, and even before, and while it has begun to regain some, and they still have Russia at their side, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will regain control of Syria anytime soon, at least not all of Syria.

As far as the perspectives of globalization go, Russia is very much a political realist and Tunisia is also, but not as much as Russia. Russia has always been in favor of a strong central government and they believe that Assad is the only person that can control Syria. As for Tunisia, by reconnecting with Assad, it means they believe more in him than any other group attempting to take control in Syria. For the Western Nations, such as France and Britain, they are the complete opposites as they are seen more as political idealist. A political idealist believes that while war can be necessary, they should do everything in their power in order to try to reduce its impact, if not avoid it entirely. They also believe in international ties in order to avoid war and while a strong government is good, there need to be more things within the government to balance it out.

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When the Syrian Civil War began four years ago the Syrian government lost many of its political contacts all over the world but there was one ally who decided to stick by them; Russia. Russia has been a close ally to the Syrian government for many years now and because of this, Syria wants them to expand their influence around the Middle East. In an article by AlMonitor, “Syria Keen on Russian Expansion in Middle East” by Ziad Haidar (translated by Joelle El-Khoury) it states how the Syrian Government wants Moscow to expand their influence within the Middle East as the United States (U.S.) and its allies begin to expand as well. This also comes as fighting increases in Yemen and throughout the Middle East.

While Russia attempt to expand their influence throughout the Middle East, Tunisia also plans to renew their ties with the Syrian government. In an article posted by Reuters, “Tunisia Says Plans to Renew Ties with Syria to Help Track Fighters” reported by Tarek Amara, writen by Patrick Markey and edited by Raissa Kasolowsky in states that Tunisia is considering renewing ties with Syria due to the increasing threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) around the Middle East. Tunisia wishes to renew its ties so that it can keep up with the insurgent fighters within Syria that threaten the rest of the Middle East but Tunisia says that these ties will not be very complex and may or may not include embassies in Syria.

Violence within the Middle East continues to increase especially with the continuing rise of the Islamic State. This violence is seen throughout the whole world and it could potentially affect other players not in or near the Middle East. Russia has always been an important stakeholder in the affairs of the Middle East due to its close ties to Syria but if they decide to expand their influence furthermore then it could cause more problems than fix them due to the many stakeholders that are in this conflict. Many argue that it could even lead to another Cold War especially if Syria begins to renew its ties within the Middle East and possibly even the world.

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In an article by BBC titled “Syria Crisis: Russia and China Step Up Warning Over Strike” it details how Russia and China feel about the U.S. lead strike against Syria in 2013 after there were reports of the Syrian government using chemical weapons. The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry defined this attack as  defying  “any code of morality” and those responsibly should be held accountable. As the U.S. and its allies geared up for an attack, China and Russia, long standing allies of the Syrian government, warned them of the potential outbreak of violence it could cause as well as unrest among the Middle East.

In related news, Reuters recently published an article, “Syria Gets Russian Arms Under Deals Signed Since Conflict Began: Assad” which was reported by Gabriela Baczynska and Darya Korsunskaya, edited by Timothy Heritage. In this article, President of Syria, Assad, claims that Syria and Russia had arms deal long before the civil war began and they were simply continuing this deal when the conflict started. Moscow confirms this stating that it is not supporting Syria anymore than it was before.

The first article shows how Russia and China have made little changes in their stance within the Syrian conflict. They still align themselves with the Syrian government and against most Western powers. The second article shows that Russia is the country with the most at stake with the Syrian conflict which gives them a little more to worry about when peace talks come to be scheduled. In my opinion, Russia is a political realists in the sense that they know what is at stake and they know their limit.

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The conflict in Syria continues to expand and it has now caused the Jordan government to close the main Jordan-Syria border crossing. According to a New York Times article, “Main Syria-Jordan Crossing Under Insurgent Assault” written by Rana F. Sweis, the closing came soon after insurgents attacked the border crossing. It is unclear as to what insurgent group, out of the many, actually began the attack but the groups who came forward to claim this victory are known as the Free Syrian Army, and a group commanded by Nusra, a terrorist organization according to the United States. It is said that these two groups are now taking command of different parts of the complex.

In another article by Reuters, “Syrian Aircraft Bomb Area Near Captured Jordan Crossing” reported by Sylvia Westall and edited by Tom Heneghan, the Syrian government reportedly dropped bombs near the border crossing just hours after the insurgent groups took over the complex. This was an effort to remove the insurgent groups who took over this crossing and further damaged the relationship between Syria and Jordan. The object of the crossing was not merely to damage these relations but also to weaken the regime’s hold in the south and to increase the areas under the control of the insurgents. 

These recent attacks by the insurgents are showing that they are relentless in their pursuit to gain more control within Syria and within the Middle East. They also want to sever the relationship between other countries to further isolate them. In terms of globalizing perspectives, this would fall under the terms of radicals since they are using extreme violence to make their end goal but then again they could come from a political realist point of view since they are attempting to brake political ties. It is still difficult to see who has the lead in the fight for Syria.

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As the Syrian conflict continues, and becomes even more violent, Turkey has been increasingly more criticized by Western governments. In an article by the Middle East Monitor titled “Turkey Arrests 19 Foreigners Heading Towards Syria” it states that Turkey is still experiencing a trickle of foreign fighters from all around the world attempting to cross into Syria to join the Islamic State of Iran and Syria (ISIS). In this latest instant, Turkey arrested 19 foreigners included a pregnant woman, one of 13 Indonesians, a French citizen, two Russians, two Libyans and someone from Kyrgyzstan. While Turkey is being criticized for not doing enough, Turkey’s foreign minister stated last week that more than 12,500 people have been blocked from entering Turkey and that the government has deported more than 1,150 people since January.

Despite Turkey doing its part to stop the flow of foreign fighters to Syria, as violence has increased Turkey has decided to shut down two border crossings [into Syria] according to a report done by Reuters called “Turkey Shuts Border Crossing As Fighting Worsens Around Syria’s Aleppo,” reported by Humeyra Pamuk and Tulay Karadeniz, written by Nick Tattersall, and edited by Alison Williams. It states that the border crossings were closed due to security concerns but they will remain opened to humanitarian aid. They will also keep the borders open to Syrians with passports who would like to return to Syria. 

The significance of the closing of these border crossing means that despite Turkey believing that they are doing “there part of it” the criticism received by Western powers means that they are attempting to do more to please these powers. Hundreds of foreign fighters still flock to Syria in order to join ISIS every day and Western powers, along with Turkey, are attempting to find new ways to stop this flow and eventually bring down the Islamic State.

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The Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) has never had any trouble finding foreign fighters to assist them in their battle for control over Syria and Iraq but recently they have gone to a new level. In an article published in Reuters by Michelle Nichols called “U.N. concerned by Islamic State’s ability to unite Afghan insurgents,” Nichols states that the Islamic State has a unique ability to unite Afghan insurgents. Despite some tensions between ISIS and the Taliban, there have been many Taliban fighters who have joined the Islamic State. Nichols states that the two groups join not so much because they believe in what the Islamic State stands for but because it can be a “potential to offer an alternative flagpole to which otherwise isolated insurgent splinter groups can rally.” Because these Taliban fighters are willing to join ISIS, and make them even stronger, the Afghanistan government is willing to open peace talks with them.

Russia has also attempted to hold peace talks with most of those involved in the Syrian conflict but it has been in vain. In fact, according to a WashingtonTimes article by Anne R. Pierce titled “Beware ISIS strategy that fortifies Russia, Iran, and Syria,” ISIS, Russia, Iran and Syria are allies in this conflict and so peace talks seem hypocritical to a point. In many cases, there are people who believe ISIS is only assisting these three countries advance their own agendas. This includes “allowing Assad to stay in power, legitimizing Russian-sponsored “peace conferences” that buy Assad time and raise Putin’s stature, accommodating the Iranian nuclear program, and giving Iran the lead in the battle against ISIS and in the Levant.” 

As stated before, ISIS has never had a problem recruiting fighters but the difference this time is that these are semi-trained fighters who have been in a war before (for the most part). This means that the Islamic State is even stronger than ever but what makes it even stronger is its close allies. These allies which include Russia, Iran, and Syria (mainly Assad’s regime) have been using ISIS to pursue their own agenda and so the growing power of ISIS only means more power and control for themselves.

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (center L) meets with a French delegation headed by Senate member, Head of the Senate’s French-Syrian Friendship Committee Jean-Pierre Vial,(center R) in Damascus February 25, 2015, in this picture released by Syria’s national news agency SANA. CREDIT: REUTERS/SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS (Click photo to access Diigo account)

Middle-Eastern and European relationships have always been tense due to the European countries efforts to colonize these countries. In the modern day, tensions had died down but recently the group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) have brought these tensions back up especially with France due to recent attacks in and around Paris. Because of this, France does not want to regain its relationship with Syria at all. In a recent article by The Daily Star called “Syria opposition praises France’s anti-Assad stance” the author states that a group of French lawmakers went to Damascus to see if relations between the two countries could be revived but it was a trip made in-vain as France will continue to oppose President Bashar Assad and Syria all together. This trip reignited a debate in European countries over whether it was time to rebuild diplomatic ties with the Syrian regime in order to “counter the greater threat from jihadi groups such as ISIS.”

Similarly, Britain has also decided to dismiss all suggestions of resorting relations with Syria. In an article reported by John Irish and edited by Mark Heinrich in Reuters called “France, Britain dismiss calls to renew relations with Syria’s Assad,” both countries state that a relationship with Assad “would likely end all hope of a political transition and push moderates into the arms of radical Islamist groups.” They will no renew ties with Syria since they believe the regime represents injustice, chaos and terror and they do not wish to be associated with any of that. France and Britain want to be able to fight ISIS, for their own security, and they need a partner that can “act against extremists”. They want to negotiate a political settlement between the government and the various other groups in Syria. 

In the bigger picture, this means that the Syrian regime and President Assad has a lesser chance to regain control of Syria. They have few diplomatic ties left and those who are still by their side, have little power over what is happening in Syria especially if most world powers are against them. Countries such as Britain and France want peace in Syria and in order for that to happen they need to eliminate both the ISIS group and the current Syrian regime. They hope to be able to gain peace through peaceful negotiations but the likelihood of that is shrinking everyday and so France and Britain, along with other European Countries and the U.S., much search for other ways to defeat these groups.

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Russia and Syria have been close to each other for a very long time but recently Russia has been expanding its alliances in the Middle East to include Egypt. Egypt has had a problem with terrorism for many years now and in order to combat it, it has aligned itself with Russia. In a recent article by Reuters, “Russia’s Putin, Egypt’s Sisi Say Committed to Fight Terrorism,” written by Yara Bayoumy, she states that Egypt’s Sis sees Russia as a “strategic friend.” With this new alliance, Russia will assist Egypt in its operations to combat terrorism. This also includes combating terrorism throughout the Middle East especially when it comes to Syria and its internal war. Russia, along with Egypt, is expecting “a new round of talks” pertaining to the Syrian conflicts.

In another article on Al-Monitor, “UN, Russia Take Lead in Syria Diplomacy,” written by Week in Review, Russia is said to take the lead, along with the United Nations, on the Syrian peace talks. Russia did recently attempt to hold peace talks in Moscow and while many of the stakeholders attended, the most important group from Syria did not attend. The absence of this group put a major dent in the peace negotiations and Russia, the UN, and other countries, agreed that in order for peace negotiations to succeed and last, this group must be present at the negotiations. While the United States continues to stay out of these specific talks, Turkey has taken a new interest in them and they have pushed for a new law that would help ease the crisis in Syria.

Thes new alliances and roles show a change in the Syrian conflict. It shows that more and more countries are willing, and very much want to, discuss peace. Even countries such as Turkey, who tended to stay out of the conflict, are coming closer to the issue and many suggest that there are many countries that are vital when it comes to talking peace. The Syrian issue affects many around the world and peace talks need to involve all of the stakeholders in order for them to succeed.

Two Turkish guards at the entrance of the tomb. (Click the picture to access my Diigo account)

The fighting in Syria has yet to stop and with many different nations included in its fighting, Turkey seems to be one of the most affected. The Turkish government had a tomb of a major historical figure, Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, in the midst of the fighting and while at first the war posed little to no threat to the tomb, recently the war had been creeping closer and closer. In a recent article in the New York Times author Sebnem Arsu stated that the Turkish government saw the tomb as a “point of vulnerability for Turkey” but with the removal of the tomb, and the guards, it see’s that threat as being eliminated. Tensions between Syria, its rebel groups, and Turkey have been tight since the fighting started and the removal of this tomb marks a major turning point in their relations. The Syrians were not happy about this mission calling it a “flagrant aggression” because Turkey did not wait for permission from Damascus to mount it.

In related news, when the tomb was moved, the Turks retreated to a safer location still within Syrian borders. Whilst stationed there, the Turks raised the Turkish flag which was seen as a threat by local rebel groups, as stated in an article in the Daily News Egypt by Mahmoud Mostafa. This again just raises tensions between the two countries who are dangerously close to each other. For now Turkey only seems to be concerned with the removal of the tomb and really does not want to get involved, more than it already has, in the civil war that has been tearing at Syria for nearly 4 years.

Turkey has assisted in various UN missions to try and end the civil war in Syria but nothing to the extent that would disrupt the delicate relationship between these two countries. Since these two countries border each other, and they have long-term connections to each other, any super aggressive notion could very well disrupt the delicate balance between the two. It is difficult to say wether Turkey will get anymore involved in this conflict than it already it.