Foreign Involvement (Opposition of Syrian Government):
Mostly everyone in the world is supporting the Syrian Opposition and opposing the current regime of the Ba'ath Party and Bashar El Assad. The EU, USA, Canada, Gulf Countries, UK, Libya, Turkey and others have cut all ties with the Assad Regime. Eve Al Qaeda and Hizb El Tahrir are supporting the Opposition and supplying th opposition groups with weapons and other kinds of aid.
Foreign Involvement (Support of Syrian Government):
The Governments of China and Russia support the Syrian Government greatly. The Chinese government hasn't provided any aid for any of the sides in the uprising yet it has vetoed the resolution condemning the Bashar Regime. The Russian Government is aiding the Bashar Regime with weapons, financial aid and other kinds of aid. Russia has also vetoed the resolution condemning the Bashar Regime. The Iranian Government is also supporting the Bashar Regime. They have aided the government with internet, cell phone and media monitoring technology. They have also aided the government with riot control equipment and snipers.
Causes of the Revolution:
There are many causes for the start of any revolution or uprising within any nation or country. In the case of the Syrian uprising of 2011, there are causes such as having a corrupt government, a low standard of living, an having an authoritarian system.
Authoritarian System:
One of the causes of the uprising is having an authoritarian system as the base and ideology of the current Syrian government lead by Bashar El Assad. This basically means having an authoritarian regime which means having a small group of heads, politicians and leaders controlling every aspect in the government. This system opposes the ideologies of democracy, liberalism and individualism, which the people are asking for.
Absence of an Effective Constitution:
Through the years which were under the regime of the Assad family, the constitution of Syria was of no use and did not have any impact on probably anything in the Syrian Nation. The Assad regime had indirect control of the legislature and the judiciary. The constitution had absolutely no effectiveness. The people of Syria saw that this factor in the nation had a negative impact on the nation and the actions that the government would make.
Government Corruption:
Like any other revolution by the people or probably most of them, one of the causes is having a corrupt government. The Syrian Government lead by the Ba'ath Party which is lead by the Assad family, exercises practically 100% full control over everything in Syria. Other than that, there is also a very high rate or bribery and fraud in the Syrian Government. The government led by Bashar El Assad has contol over all branches of the government including the military.
High Unemployment:
The increasing rate of unemployment has also displeased the Syrian people which is why it was one of the main factors that contributed to the beginning of this uprising and revolution. The unemployment rate in Syria, at the moment is 8.5% of all the people, and for 13% of all people aged from 15 to 24, which is actually very high. 75% of all unemployed people, have been actually been looking for jobs, but no luck, this also displeased the people. The recession and decline in Syria's economy, resulting from the financial abuses of the Assad regime, have been the biggest factor that contribute to the the increasing unemployment rate. The revolution in Syrian is still in progress, for not all goals have been achieved yet and the people of Syria are not yet pleased.
Inspiration from Regional Protests:
Inspiration always plays a great ole in uprising, anywhere in the world. The Syrian Revolution was mainly sparked by the 2011 Arab Spring. The Arab Spring was a series of uprisings, protests and revolutions that took place in the Middle East. The Spring started with the Tunisian Revolution then slowly started a chain reaction through the whole Middle East. People started believing that it is possible to topple the unjust regime that ruled them for all this time and started waking up and going down to the streets to protest. Inspiration wasn't just regional but also local, for when people started seeing their family, friends, and people they know go protest, they were inspired and encouraged to go and do the same. The regional protests that occurred during the Arab Spring included Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Libya and some other countries. The inspiration has played a great and made a big contribution to the Syrian Revolution and the Arab Spring by starting a chain reaction that lead to the toppling of many corrupt regimes and the changing in the course of history for many soon to be great Arab Nations.
Goals of the Revolution:
Resignation of Bashar El Assad and his Regime:
Off course, the main purpose of the revolution and the uprising in Syria is to remove Bashar El Assad from office and topple his regime. The people believe that the Bashar Regime is the cause and reason for all the undemocratic things and economically negative state in Syria. The Bashar El Assad regime has not only shown that they were incompetent with the presidency and the power in Syria, but they also have killed protesters and refused resigning from office and handing over control.
Democratic Reforms:
The people of Syria are hoping and fighting for democracy and equality in Syria. The people of Syria request different democratic reforms after the toppling of the regime; these reforms include, the unconditional freedom of opinion, expression, assembly, press, protests, strikes, organization, unions and organized political activities. And also, other than that, they require freedom of religion and full equality of sexes.
Expanded Civil Rights:
One of the revolution's goals to achieve through the uprising is expanding civil rights for the people of Syria. The people demand economic and social justice and a modern welfare system covering each and every system. Civil rights also include the right of political and social freedom; and most importantly, the equality between every single citizen in the Syrian Arab Republic.
Possible Solutions to the Issue:
There are many possible solutions that are progressively decreasing while the situation in Syria escalates and becomes more violent. The solutions can be classified into three different categories or arenas. The Syrian Arena which is the solution within the Syria; the Arab Arena and the International Arena.
Syrian Arena:
There are three different scenarios that may take place within the Syrian Arena to end this issue. Of the three arenas and also including the Syrian government itself all of them agree on the central issue: that the country cannot return to its pre-uprising state. In other words, change is inevitable.
Scenario 1:
The first scenario goes like this; the security policy of the Bashar Regime and the government are proven worthy and succeed in destroying the uprising, before any serious reforms take place. Some laws will be amended and changed which will enable the Bashar Regime to regain control of the country. This scenario and solution is very unlikely to take place, for the regime is utterly bankrupt. It has lost every shred of its legitimacy and is only able to maintain its unity thanks to an oppressive use of its security and military forces.
Scenario 2:
The second scenario is that the uprising manages to topple the regime. However, a rational assessment of the current balance of power in the country does not support such a conclusion and it only seems likely in the event of outside intervention or some seismic internal change, for instance the whole-scale abandonment of the regime by the armed forces or a palace coup of some kind. Neither of the 1st and 2nd scenarios is certain at present. Alternatively, we may see an intervention by an Arab or international military force or an escalation of outside pressure that makes the regime’s position untenable.
Scenario 3:
The third scenario is a settlement reached by negotiation between representatives of the popular movement and the regime. The regime however persists with its repressive tactics and seems unwilling to seriously consider the possibility of negotiating with anybody except its own puppet ‘opposition’. The revolutionaries on the ground, meanwhile, utterly reject the possibility of entering into dialogue with the regime and the official political opposition remains divided on the issue. For all these reasons, such an outcome seems unlikely.
Arab Arena:
At first glance, it would seem that the Arab League is the only player in the Arab arena capable of providing a solution to the Syrian crisis. Yet its members have been unable to reach a consensus on Syria and the League itself is too weak to provide a way out of a situation as intractable as the current one, taking place in a country where the roots of the crisis are so entangled that it is hard to find a solution. Nevertheless, the League has taken a step, practically without precedent in its own history, of imposing economic sanctions on Syria and putting forward an initiative to end the crisis. Reluctantly, the regime allowed Arab League observers to enter the country to ensure it was abiding by the League’s conditions.
Arab League Peace Plan:
On 3 November, the Syrian government accepted an peace plan to halt its crackdown on protesters. The ceasefire quickly broke down, as government forces continued their suppression of protests. From 2 to 12 November 2011, more than 250 people were killed. On December 19, Syria agreed to the Arab League peace plan, agreeing to let observers into the country. As part of the Arab League peace plan, Syria released 3,500 prisoners on 3 January 2012 and a further 552 detainees on 5 January.
Arab League Observer Mission:
The monitors headed by arrived in Syria on 26 December 2011, to oversee a deal to protect civilians in the country. Overall, initially around 50 observers were dispatched to Syria, headed by Sudanese General Mohammed al-Dabi. Algerian , one of the Arab League observers to Syria, resigned on 11 January 2012, due to what he described as "the regime committing a series of war crimes against its people and of duping his colleagues". Anwar Malek also describes witnessing a "humanitarian disaster" and accused the Syrian regime of killing children and attempting to fool the Arab League. The Arab League official in Cairo dismissed Anwar's accusations. The Arab League observers mission technically expired on January 18. Nevertheless, as for January 22, there were 165 observers on the ground in Syria. On January 24, the Gulf Cooperation Council withdrew its 55 monitors out of 165 strong observer mission, while on January 28 the whole Arab League mission was suspended due to "critical" and deteriorating conditions.
International Arena:
In the third, the international arena, Western countries are alike when it comes to their unsure attitudes to direct intervention. Turkey is divided between its nationalist pan-Islamic ambitions on the one hand, its fear of the Kurds and the Alevis at home, and of Russia and Iran abroad. Then there is Europe mired in economic crisis and terrified of disintegration and a United States weakened by the failure of its military interventions in the region. None of them want the situation to develop without having a hand in the matter, yet nor do they want the crisis to continue, in view of its huge potential for causing instability in the Middle East. They also do not want a return to stability, whatever form it might take, if they are to have no say in the new status quo. At the same time, they would much prefer it if this stability could be brought about without requiring any sacrifice on their part. For this reason they have been content to leave the ball in the court of those international bodies that have proved incapable of reaching a consensus on the non-military intervention being called for by the Syrian demonstrators, the Free Syrian Army, and certain sections of the formal Syrian opposition: i.e. international protection, no-fly zones, safe corridors, etc. They are even less certain about military intervention, despite the fuss made by the Syrian state media about an international plot to invade the country. It is a whirlpool dragging the country deeper into violence. At present the country is engaged in a minor form of civil war, that we can call a confined civil war. If the whirlpool is to be calmed, the regime still has the power to solve the crisis by stopping the slaughter, withdrawing its troops, releasing prisoners and inviting the opposition (as represented by those part of the uprising) to engage in a negotiated transfer of power. Without this the current polarization of the country will continue, the confined civil war will spread and international intervention – perhaps under cover of an Arab initiative – will be the inevitable result with the consequent destruction of the country. But will the regime see fit to act? Unfortunately not, it seems. It will stay its course, pulling down the temple on its own head and on Syria itself.