Syrian Civil War - Winds Of Third World War

Syrian Civil War - Winds Of Third World War

- Nameeta Singh

It’s the land where the Arab Spring collided with a dictatorship determined to stay in power. For decades, Syria’s leaders-imposed stability on the country’s mix of religious and ethnic groups. Secular Syrians, homegrown Islamist radicals and foreign Sunni jihadists have battled forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and — at times — each other. In its eighth year, the war is entering what could be its final phase, with Assad and his backers — Russia, Iran and the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah — prevailing. It’s a costly victory: an estimated 511,000 people — about 1 in 43 citizens — have been killed, with much of the country’s roads, factories, hospitals, schools and homes destroyed.

The Background

Syria became an independent republic in 1946 following years of French rule after World War II, although democratic rule ended with a coup in March 1949, followed by two more coups the same year. A popular uprising against military rule in 1954 saw the army transfer power to civilians. From 1958 to 1961, a brief union with Egypt replaced Syria’s parliamentary system with a centralized presidential government. The secular Ba’ath Syrian Regional Branch government came to power through a successful coup d’état in 1963. For the next several years Syria went through additional coups and changes in leadership.