Syria lies within the region known as the Fertile Crescent, where the land is typically moist and fertile amidst the arid climate of the Middle East. Between 2006 and 2009, the region experienced the worst drought in approximately 900 years. A study published in March 2015 postulates that man-made global warming caused “the drought was made three times more likely to occur, and that it was one of a number of factors that led to the outbreak of hostilities in 2011.” The severity of the drought led to massive crop failures and large-scale declines in the numbers of cattle. Of a population of 20 million people, approximately 1.5 million Syrians migrated from rural to urban areas. The strain put on these urban environments by the displaced, desperate, and destitute Syrians led to civil unrest and revolt against “a brutal regime that had long avoided such challenges.”
In March 2011, two years after the drought ended, pro-Democracy protests in Deera against corrupt President Bashar al-Assad erupted in violence when security forces fired on protesters during what became known as the “Arab Spring.” By July, there were hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country. As the state erupted into a civil war, violence escalated as rebel groups fought for control of various cities, finally reaching the capital of Damascus and then Aleppo in 2012. As the death toll rose from an approximated 90,000 in June of 2013 to 250,000 by August 2015, as established by the UN, refugees began to flee to neighboring Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan. The conflict has progressed further than simple political disdain, the rise of the jihadist group ISIS has elevated the struggle and caused renewed refugee migration.
As the Civil War in Syria continues, the rebel group called ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria), known also as ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), continues to make use of the conflict happening in Syria, and take control over the country. Founded as a group that builds off of the beliefs and ideologies of al Qaeda, ISIS believes in a very extreme interpretation of Islamic and Sharia laws and beliefs. The goal of ISIS is to control specific areas to create a caliphate, essentially an Islamic State. With this goal in mind, ISIS has used many different tactics to gain support, along with spread fear throughout the world. The group has caught the attention of the public multiple times, using the platform of technology and social media to broadcast their actions all over the world. Many of the videos broadcasted have contained scenes of public execution, and various threats to other nations and groups. ISIS has also claimed responsibility for many large-scale acts of terror, including the attacks in Belgium and France in 2016.
ISIS has contributed to the rebel effort in many ways, by providing support on rebel operations. This support comes easily, as ISIS is extremely well funded, and organized. However, as ISIS operates in Syria, it also has many enemies, including the Assad regime, and even other rebel groups with which it does not hold good relations with. Other nations have aligned and created a coalition against ISIS. Among those countries are the United Kingdom, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, along with pledged assistance in these operations by the United States. Between these countries, there have been many actions to combat the actions of ISIS, the biggest of which being coordinated airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, targeting members of ISIS. However, many innocent civilians have been killed in this process.
As ISIS continues to work towards their goal of a caliphate, many have been brutally murdered. With fear of being killed as a result of race or identity, civilians are forced to flee the country fearing their lives. Furthermore, between airstrikes, and civil war, citizens are in the middle of a large humanitarian crisis. Nations surrounding Syria continue to take in refugees fleeing the violence and conflict, but doing so has many implications. Sudden influxes of hundreds of thousands of people puts a heavy burden on nations trying to accommodate many people, as more and more are displaced every day.
As refugees try to survive this catastrophic event that took place in their home, they seek asylum in neighboring countries and throughout the world. ISIS not only affects the middle east, they affect the whole world. Their extremist ideals and threats catch the attention of so many people throughout the world who are drawn to join them and do as they are instructed. Syria has suffered endlessly and in turn so have other countries who try to provide refuge to as many asylum seekers as possible.
As refugees try to survive this catastrophic event that took place in their home, they seek asylum in neighboring countries and throughout the world. ISIS not only affects the middle east, they affect the whole world. Their extremist ideals and threats catch the attention of so many people throughout the world who are drawn to join them and do as they are instructed. Syria has suffered endlessly and in turn so have other countries who try to provide refuge to as many asylum seekers as possible.
Anonymous post to Al Jazeera newsgroup, “Syria’s Civil War Explained,” May 24, 2016. Accessed November 13, 2016. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/syria-civil-war-explained-160505084119966.html.
Anonymous post to British Broadcasting Corporation newsgroup, “Guide to the Syrian Rebels,” December 13, 2013. Accessed November 13, 2016. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24403003.
Anonymous post to Cable News Network newsgroup, “ISIS Fast Facts,” November 1, 2016. Accessed November 13, 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/world/isis-fast-facts/.
Fantz, Ashley. Ashley Fantz to Cable News Network newsgroup, “Who’s doing what in the coalition battle against ISIS,” October 9, 2014. Accessed November 13, 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/09/world/meast/isis-coalition-nations/.
Freedman, A. (2015, March 02). The Worst Drought in 900 Years Helped Spark Syria's Civil War. Retrieved November 12, 2016, from http://mashable.com/2016/03/02/syria-drought-900-years-civil-war/#dGZUx6mldiqG
Fountain, H. (2015). Researchers Link Syrian Conflict to a Drought Made Worse by Climate Change. Retrieved November 12, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/03/science/earth/study-links-syria-conflict-to-drought-caused-by-climate-change.html
HC Blog. Is Climate Change Behind the Syrian Civil War? (2015, July 18). Retrieved November 12, 2016, from http://www.historicalclimatology.com/blog/is-climate-change-behind-the-syrian-civil-war
Holliday, Jospeh. “THE ASSAD REGIME: FROM COUNTERINSURGENCY TO CIVIL WAR.” Understanding War. Accessed November 13, 2016. http://www.understandingwar.org/report/assad-regime.
News, B. (2016, March 11). Syria: The story of the conflict. Retrieved November 12, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-261.
Piven, Ben. Ben Piven to Al Jazeera America newsgroup, “Who, what and where is ISIL? Explaining the Islamic State,” September 18, 2014. Accessed November 13, 2016. http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/9/18/isil-threat-explained.html.
Timeline. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2016, from http://syrianrefugees.eu/timeline/
Elizabeth, Tyler, Hayley, Valeria
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