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The Syrian Uprising

Saahil Ramakrishnan Zurich International School

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From 2000, Bashar al-Assad has been in power, running a semi-dictatorship. When civilians are flogged for spraying anti-governmental graffiti, the people rose up against him. The Syrian Government had a strict regime, which killed many people. Due to this, armed protests have ensued, killing even more. The conflict has raged on for almost a year, fighting both sides to a more or less equal standstill. Most of the population does not have access to clean supplies, and have their homes under constant threat of destruction. This way less people would die, and the new provisional government would act more maturely after the conflict. The Syrian government should stand down, and then peace would start to make its way back to Syria. The Syrian government should stand down because the rest of the population should be able to access basic needs like clean food and water. Firstly, the conflict in Syria limits how much the people can access in terms of resources. The mass destruction has limited the amount of possible resources as well. If a town is being shelled for rebels, the people will not go out into the streets, and they will be unable to get food or water, and would die of malnutrition. "Deraa has been under siege since Monday morning. Residents from the surrounding villages were trying to break the siege as they tried to get supplies, said a reporter (Al Jazeera). This means that the people are unable to gather food, and are unable to survive. There is not enough food for the people who need it. Secondly, the Syrian government tries to keep as much food and water, and other luxuries, as possible, and this further deprives the populations pool of resources. When trying to keep control of a country, you have to have the resources to do it, and if the government is stockpiling as much of the resources possible. This also stops the Free Syrian Army from funding their own operations. Lastly, the threat of constant violence weighs heavily on the people who are afraid to be caught in the middle. That fear keeps them from even going out to the market to buy food, although the market itself is probably closed or destroyed. The possibility of getting hit by a projectile of any kind would stop almost anyone from leaving their homes. The Syrian government should stand down, and the population would be able to live, even basically. Additionally, a new provisional government should be instated, and this government would become more mature with how they use Syrias resources. First of all, the people who would make up this provisional government would have gone through the mini war that was fought in Syria, and would not be keen to start that all over again. Clearly, after trying to fight the government for freedom, the people would not want to fight again over the same thing. Also, the new government would not have gained the loyalty to command people to fight, and the resources would not be sufficient for that sort of fight. Secondly, if the people can bring down Assad, then they can bring down any provisional government, especially if the government has not won any loyalty. The provisional government can be deposed by the people, since the people would have been able to defeat Assad, and the provisional
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government would be much weaker than the original president of Syria. Lastly, the population would no longer want to fight against each other and the soldiers and rebels who fought would want to return to their families, if they could. The provisional government, or even the new real government, would be more mature in using Syrias resources for their own gain. People die every day around the world, but in Syria, more people die in one day than a week in Switzerland. When the government and protesters clash, the innocent people caught in the middle are mistaken for a fighter, and are killed on the spot. In a conflict like this, the protestors do not wear uniforms. Also, one stray bullet could kill someone, and the explosion wiping out everyone, friend or foe. The wave of popular unrest sweeping the Arab world came late to Syria but since the first protests in March 2011 in the city of Deraa, at least 5,000 Syrians have been killed, according to the UN (BBC News, Country by country Syria). No one can go outside and announce what side youre on, and their freedom of expression is limited because, for example, if someone expresses themselves against Assad, the government would retaliate before this expression spread, and vice versa. "We knew they were bad," Osama (a guide for the Economist) says of the regime. He shakes his head: "But not to this level. How could they do this?" (The Economist, a report from Rankous). The people would not have the freedom of expression, and would live, huddled in fear. The death of thousands should be stopped, and the peoples needs far outweigh the superficial needs of the government. The Syrian government, run by Assad, should stand down for the good of the citizens, not just for their leaders. Does Assad need to continue this slaughter? Should he sacrifice the lives of thousands for his own comfort?

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Works Cited Page

Al Jazeera Syrian day of rage: Al Jazeera. Scores killed on Syria's 'day of rage'. April 29 2011 Al Jazeera. May 24 2012 <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/04/201142993412242172.html>.

The Economist, a report from Rankous:

A report from Rankous. May 18 2012 The Economist. May 28 2012 <http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2012/05/syrias-uprising>.

The New Yorker: Coll, Steve. "The Syrian Problem." The New Yorker The New Yorker. 30 5 2011. The New Yorker. May 21 2012 <http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2011/05/30/110530t aco_talk_coll>.

The Current happenings in Syria: From Bad to Worse. May 26 2012 The Economist. May 26 2012 http://www.economist.com/node/21555954

BBC News Syria Protests: Middle East Protests: Country by Country - Syria. May 24 2012 BBC News. May 24 2012 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12482309>.

Human Rights Watch- War crimes in Idlib

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Neistat, Anna. Syria: War Crimes in Idlib During Peace Negotiations. May 2 2012 Human Rights Watch. May 22 2012 <http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/05/02/syria-war-crimes-idlibduring-peace-negotiations>.

The Economist The Beginning of the Syrian Protests: Online, The Economist. Protests in the Middle East - The Arab awakening reaches Syria. May 21 2011 The Economist. May 21 2012 <http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/03/protests_middle_east>. eLibrary Syria Page: Syrian Uprising 2012. May 21 2012 eLibrary. May 22 2012 <http://elibrary3.bigchalk.com/elibweb/elib/do/results?set=sear ch&source=&maxresultsperpage=0&start=1&secondaryNav=advance>. The Economist, everything about Syria: The Economist: Syria. April 26 2012 The Economist. April 30 2012 <http://www.economist.com/topics/syria >.

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