Over the course of the last two years, rebellious uprisings,
protests, and reform movements have swarmed regions in the Middle East. The
Arab Spring, which began in 2010, set an example for other prospective
countries in the Middle East to revolutionize their governments and challenge
authority. Human rights violations, corrupt governing policies, increasing
poverty, and unemployment all served as catalysts, which fueled the resistance
involved in areas such as Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and most recently, Syria.
Syria’s government has long been upheld by a small group of elite, which has
used violence to suppress protests stimulated by the Arab Spring. The bloody
crackdown has affected many people of the country and domestic opposition has
become even more reckless, in spite of the harsh consequences administered.
Over 5,000 individuals have been killed by the Syrian government’s regime and
even the United States has closed its embassy, as a surge of violence has
surrounded various parts of the country. The government also demonstrated it’s
ruthless power when it bombed it’s own military bases as a means to restraining
potential independent and unauthorized resistance from the military.
Essentially, it seems that Syria is warped in a mass power struggle between
it’s citizens and the people who are privileged enough to run the government.
Bashar al-Assad is the current “president” of Syria. I use the term
“president” loosely, since in reality Assad wasn’t voted into his position by
the people of Syria, but rather put into place by his autocratic family
dynasty, which ruled Syria for over 40 years.
Constitutional requirements were also altered for Assad in regards to
his eligibility to become “president”. Recently, Assad has decided to expand
voting rights to his citizens in regards to a new constitution. Although this
may seem as a way for him to neutralize the crisis in Syria, it is in fact a
means for him to extend his control over his people and allow them to believe
that he has their best interests at heart. In turn, I believe Assad is trying
to prevent the country from resorting to a civil war (although it is
practically on the verge). Also, Assad has increased the assault on his
resistance, which is definitely not winning him any popularity points, but is
creating an even more divisive barrier between him and the people he governs.
Syria has been inflicted with turmoil for years and the people who have
witnessed the deterioration of their country have felt that resistance is the
only way to save them, even if they lose their lives in the process.
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