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The Impact of the War in Syria

The civil war has made Syria the bloodiest battlefield in the Middle East, widening the racial and sectarian rifts in Syria, leading to the rise of “jihad” forces, and spilling over to five major issues: refugees, sectarian and ethnic conflicts, geopolitical competition, and violent conflicts, making the situation in the Middle East increasingly turbulent. .

Sectarian vendettas are increasingly brutal

At the domestic level, Syria is increasingly “fragmented and radicalized”. The sectarian vendetta has become increasingly cruel. In November 2011, the sectarian vendetta swept across Syria’s third largest city – Homs, the largest Sunni settlement in the center. In its report to the UN Human Rights Commission, the UN mission pointed out that the war for political change between the Syrian army and rebels has turned into an “open sectarian” war, “in the face of threats, racial and religious minorities in Syria. Ethnic people are increasingly taking sides in the conflict, further deepening sectarian divisions.” From May 2 to 4, 2013, massacres occurred successively in two Sunni enclaves in the government-controlled Tartus province, mainly inhabited by Alawites and Christians.

“Jihad” forces are growing

The “jihad” forces are becoming more and more powerful, and the “jihad” forces are the main force in the siege of the Syrian rebels. Some of the Syrian “jihad” forces are underground members of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and their children. After the organization was suppressed by the Syrian army in 1982, some leaders fled to London, Paris and other places to reorganize the organization.

In addition, the new generation of Syrian Sunni “jihadists” trained by the US invasion of Iraq went to Iraq to fight against the US military with the support of Bashar from 2003 to 2007. After mastering the urban warfare skills, they returned to China and became involved in the civil war.

Another part of the “jihad” forces in Syria originated from the “Victory Front”, a branch of the “Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia”. The “Nusra Front” aims to establish the “Islamic State” in Syria,On December 10, 2012, the United States officially added the “Nusra Front” to the blacklist of foreign terrorist organizations. The “Nusra Front” has become the preferred organization of foreign jihadists pouring into Syria, attracting some anti-government forces originally belonging to the “Free Syrian Army”. Throughout the Syrian countryside, Islamists have the upper hand.

Refugee spillover
The spillover of refugees has impacted the social stability of neighboring countries. Syria has a population of 22 million and borders Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and other countries. As of May

2013, the number of registered Syrian refugees in Syria’s neighboring countries has reached 1.4 million, and the accommodation capacity is approaching its limit. Lebanon has a population of about 4 million. The influx of Syrian refugees has increased the local population by 10%, causing overcrowding in many local communities, declining wages, rising prices, and rising crime rates. Local people are increasingly dissatisfied.

In Turkey, a large number of Syrian refugees were stranded on the side of the Turkish border, causing a heavy economic burden. The Turkish people began to express dissatisfaction with the government’s policy toward Syria. In Jordan, with a population of 6 million, it has accepted 500,000 Syrian refugees, 55% of whom are teenagers under the age of 18. The Syrian refugees put enormous pressure on the host country’s limited energy and water resources, social services and infrastructure, and the economic and social situation very grim.

Sectarian conflict spillover

The sectarian conflict spilled over, causing sectarian tensions in neighboring countries to heat up. In Iraq, the Syrian civil war sparked a new wave of violence in Iraq. Sunni protests in Iraq began in December 2012 and since April 2013 have turned to violence to achieve their goals. On April 23, Iraqi security forces attacked Sunni protesters in the northern Kirkuk village of Hawija, killing 50 people and injuring more than 100. Leaders of Sunni protesters in other cities have vowed to share the fate of Hawija’s compatriots and avenge them.

There have been multiple violent attacks in the Shiite neighbourhoods of Baghdad and Sheab, the Shiite city of Basra in the south, the city of Samara in the north of Baghdad, and the Sunni neighbourhood of Anbar province in the west. incident or explosion. In Lebanon, “Hezbollah” directly participated in the Syrian civil war, deepening the confrontation between Shiites and Sunnis. “Hezbollah” and the Lebanese Sunnis participating in the “Free Syrian Army” exchange fire almost daily on the front lines of the Syrian civil war, killing each other. At the same time, there have been sporadic sectarian conflicts between supporters of the Assad regime in Lebanon and opponents in Lebanon.

Ethnic Issues Spillover

The ethnic issue spilled over, and the Kurdish issue was complicated. The Kurds in northern Syria initially wanted to stay out, but were gradually drawn into the civil war. In August 2011, Turkey joined the anti-Assad camp and provided funds and bases for the Syrian opposition. Bashar made concessions to the Kurds, especially the PKK: giving the Kurds their long-deprived nationality and issuing new rights such as official ID cards; in mid-2012, through negotiations, the Syrian army was withdrawn from the Kurdish-inhabited areas. The leader of the Syrian branch of the PKK, Saleh Muslim, was allowed to return to Syria from the Qandil mountains in Iraq, where he lived for many years; , and recruit new recruits to launch an offensive against Turkey.

Because of Turkey’s support for the Syrian rebels, the Kurdish Democratic Union Party and the Bashar regime regard Turkey as a common enemy. Hasakah Province is the largest settlement of Syrian Kurds. The local residents accept Kurds who have fled from other war-torn places, expand Kurdish education in schools, and form Kurdish militias. There are conflicts with rebels from time to time. Members of the “Nusra Front” crossed the border from Turkey into the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain in November 2012 and attacked the “Kurdish Democratic Alliance Party” armed forces; in early December, violent clashes with the Kurds occurred in Ras al-Ain, setting fire to and looting Kurdish villages.

Geopolitical rivalry spills over

The issue of geopolitical competition has spilled over, especially the frequent exchanges of fire between Syria and Israel, and the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated. Syria and Israel are actually at war.

Spillover of violence

The civil war in Syria has spilled over to violence, triggered bombings in Turkey and an economic downturn, jeopardizing Turkey’s domestic stability and national peace plan. On May 11, 2013, two car bombs exploded 15 minutes apart in Rehanli, Hatay Province, southern Turkey, killing more than 50 people and injuring at least 155. The bombings have sparked numerous protests in Turkey, with demonstrators accusing Erdogan’s government of backing Syrian rebels for sparking such attacks.

Many young Turks attacked the Syrian refugee apartment in Rehanri, creating “trouble between Syrians and Turks”. The left-wing “Turkish People’s Liberation Party/Front” strongly opposes the Turkish government’s policy towards Syria, believing that its policy serves the interests of US imperialism, and therefore launched attacks, such as the attack on the US embassy in Ankara on February 2, 2013.