It’s difficult to attribute the Syrian Civil War to any single factor. Rather, the Syrian Civil War arose out of a confluence of longstanding systemic issues, including government corruption, lack of political freedom, repressive tactics on the part of the al-Assad regime, and socioeconomic inequality. However, it was the Arab Spring protests in Syria that served as the catalyst that would put the country on the path toward war.
What Was the Arab Spring?
The Arab Spring is a collective term used to refer to wide-scale protests that took place across the Middle East and North Africa. The protests, which began in late 2010 in Tunisia, quickly spread to Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, and Syria. Although the specific circumstances and grievances varied from country to country, in general, protestors were united in their opposition to authoritarian regimes and their calls for democracy.
The Legacy of Syria’s Arab Spring Movement
The Arab Spring reached Syria in March of 2011, when adolescent protestors put up anti-government graffiti in the city of Dara’a. The youths responsible were quickly jailed and tortured, which prompted public demonstrations calling for their release. Protests calling for political reform spread across the country. In response, government forces responded with violence, killing many civilian protestors in the process and effectively firing the opening shots of the civil war.
The next year saw the rise of multiple militant opposition groups, who fought with government forces for control of territory. Amidst the chaos and unrest, ISIS took advantage of the opportunity to stake a claim in the country. Foreign powers—including Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the United States—intervened on both sides of the war, turning the civil war into a geopolitical conflict. The conflict has resulted in the death and displacement of millions of civilians and has destroyed significant amounts of Syrian infrastructure.
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