On the President's Desk: Syria
The Arab nation of Syria became an independent republic in 1946 following years of French rule after World War II. The French evacuated the country on April 17, 1946. Originally under although democratic rule, that ended with a coup in March 1949 led by Hussni al-Zaimy. The coup was supported by the CIA, with the help of agents Miles Copeland and Stephen Meade. A series of coups followed over the next few years, with a popular uprising against military rule taking place in 1954. From 1958 to 1961, Syria was part of a brief union with Egypt meant an end to Syria's parliamentary system with a centralized presidential government. Once again Syria experienced another coup d'état in 1963. For the next several years Syria went through additional coups and changes in leadership.
In March 1971, Hafez al-Assad, an Alawite, declared himself President, a position that he held until his death in 2000. On January 31, 1973, Hafez al-Assad implemented a new constitution, which led to demonstrations in organized by the Muslim Brotherhood. They called Assad the "enemy of Allah" and called for a jihad against his rule. His government survived a series of armed revolts by Islamists, mainly members of the Muslim Brotherhood, between 1976 until 1982. Upon Hafez al-Assad's death in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad was elected as President of Syria. Bashar al-Assad is a Sunni Muslim born and educated in Britain. At first, many believed that he would bring about democratic elections, but after he failed to deliver on promised reforms, his rule has become the subject of significant opposition.
In late 2010, an event known as the Arab Spring began in a number of Middle Eastern countries. People took to the streets to protest oppressive regimes. Social media was one of the driving forces behind the spread of the revolutionary spirit throughout the world, as new protests were fueled by those taking place in other countries. In many of these countries, the governments recognized the significance of social media for organizing and responded by shutting down certain sites or blocking Internet service entirely. A successful revolution in Tunisia spread strong dissent to five other countries: Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. Sustained street demonstrations took place in these countries, as well as in Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Sudan. Minor protests occurred in Djibouti, Mauritania, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, and the Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara.
Syria was one of the states most heavily affected by the Arab Spring, and by the second half of March 2011, major anti-government protests were being held in various locations in Syria. Although Syria had been a longtime adversary of the United States, President Barack Obama said that he believed that unilateral military action to topple the Bashar al-Assad regime would be a mistake. As protests continued, Syria fell into a protracted civil war. The United States government supported the Syrian opposition against the Assad regime. US criticism of Assad became even more severe after the Ghouta chemical attack. In the early hours of August 21, 2013, two opposition-controlled areas in the Ghouta suburbs around Damascus were struck by rockets containing the chemical agent sarin. Estimates of the death toll range from at least 281 to 1,729 people. The attack was the deadliest use of chemical weapons since the Iran–Iraq War, and it led to widespread contempt for Assad for using the deadly gas, and especially for using it on his own people.
Fearing reprisal from the world community, Assad agreed to a Russian-backed deal that saw the Syrian government relinquish its chemical weapons. An Islamist group known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took control of large portions of Syria and Iraq. ISIL, which had originated as part of al-Qaeda in Iraq under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, eventually became the most prominent global terrorist group during President Obama's second term.
In 2014, President Obama approved the launching of air strikes against ISIL and trained anti-ISIL soldiers, while continuing to oppose Assad's regime. The Obama administration also cooperated with Syrian Kurds in opposing the ISIL. This strained relations with Turkey, as the Turkish government accused the Syrian Kurds of working with the Kurdish terrorist groups inside Turkey. Russia launched its own military intervention to aid Assad's regime, causing fears about another global conflict, although the United States and Russia sometimes cooperated in the fight against ISIL.
In November 2015, President Obama announced a plan to resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States. Obama's moderate approach to the Syrian conflict was criticized by many as the Syrian Civil War became a major humanitarian trouble spot. Supporters of President Obama argued that he deserved credit for keeping the United States out of another costly ground war in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump took office while the United States remained involved in a military intervention against ISIL, which still maintained control of parts of Iraq and Syria. There were roughly 4,500 American soldiers in Iraq as of February 2016 just after Trump took office. Under Obama, the United States also backed the Free Syrian Army against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad.
In the first unilateral military action by the United States targeting Ba'athist Syrian government forces during the Syrian Civil War, Trump authorizes a missile strike against Shayrat Airbase. On April 6, 2017, on the orders from President Trump, the USS Ross and USS Porter (both based in the Mediterranean) fired 60 Tomahawk missiles at Shayrat airfield, with 59 reaching the base. The United States had notified Russia, Syria's biggest ally, prior to the strike. The attack was retaliation for another chemical attack in the town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Province. The attack on Khan Sheikhoun had been launched from Shayrat. Two days earlier, on April 4, 2017, the town was the target of an airstrike by government forces followed by massive civilian chemical poisoning. The release of a toxic gas in the town killed at least 74 people and injured more than 557. The attack was the deadliest use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war since the Ghouta attack. In August 2017, a senior State Department official claimed that the Trump administration had "dramatically accelerated" the U.S.–led campaign against ISIL.He estimated that almost one-third of the territory taken from ISIL has been recovered in the past six months.
Syria presents a particular challenge that rests on the President's desk. On the one hand ISIL represents one of the largest threats to the United States. Ignoring the problem increases the potential danger it presents. It is difficult to justify support for Assad, who has openly participated in genocide on his own people. Aiding regime change risks escalating the conflict by inviting Russian intervention, and it also fuels anti-American sentiment in the middle east. Doing nothing allows a genocidal leader to continue to gas his own people and shows a lack of humanitarian concern. While many Americans wish that their country could just get out of the Middle East altogether, doing so likely results in larger problems down the road.
In March 1971, Hafez al-Assad, an Alawite, declared himself President, a position that he held until his death in 2000. On January 31, 1973, Hafez al-Assad implemented a new constitution, which led to demonstrations in organized by the Muslim Brotherhood. They called Assad the "enemy of Allah" and called for a jihad against his rule. His government survived a series of armed revolts by Islamists, mainly members of the Muslim Brotherhood, between 1976 until 1982. Upon Hafez al-Assad's death in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad was elected as President of Syria. Bashar al-Assad is a Sunni Muslim born and educated in Britain. At first, many believed that he would bring about democratic elections, but after he failed to deliver on promised reforms, his rule has become the subject of significant opposition.
In late 2010, an event known as the Arab Spring began in a number of Middle Eastern countries. People took to the streets to protest oppressive regimes. Social media was one of the driving forces behind the spread of the revolutionary spirit throughout the world, as new protests were fueled by those taking place in other countries. In many of these countries, the governments recognized the significance of social media for organizing and responded by shutting down certain sites or blocking Internet service entirely. A successful revolution in Tunisia spread strong dissent to five other countries: Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. Sustained street demonstrations took place in these countries, as well as in Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Sudan. Minor protests occurred in Djibouti, Mauritania, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, and the Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara.
Syria was one of the states most heavily affected by the Arab Spring, and by the second half of March 2011, major anti-government protests were being held in various locations in Syria. Although Syria had been a longtime adversary of the United States, President Barack Obama said that he believed that unilateral military action to topple the Bashar al-Assad regime would be a mistake. As protests continued, Syria fell into a protracted civil war. The United States government supported the Syrian opposition against the Assad regime. US criticism of Assad became even more severe after the Ghouta chemical attack. In the early hours of August 21, 2013, two opposition-controlled areas in the Ghouta suburbs around Damascus were struck by rockets containing the chemical agent sarin. Estimates of the death toll range from at least 281 to 1,729 people. The attack was the deadliest use of chemical weapons since the Iran–Iraq War, and it led to widespread contempt for Assad for using the deadly gas, and especially for using it on his own people.
Fearing reprisal from the world community, Assad agreed to a Russian-backed deal that saw the Syrian government relinquish its chemical weapons. An Islamist group known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took control of large portions of Syria and Iraq. ISIL, which had originated as part of al-Qaeda in Iraq under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, eventually became the most prominent global terrorist group during President Obama's second term.
In 2014, President Obama approved the launching of air strikes against ISIL and trained anti-ISIL soldiers, while continuing to oppose Assad's regime. The Obama administration also cooperated with Syrian Kurds in opposing the ISIL. This strained relations with Turkey, as the Turkish government accused the Syrian Kurds of working with the Kurdish terrorist groups inside Turkey. Russia launched its own military intervention to aid Assad's regime, causing fears about another global conflict, although the United States and Russia sometimes cooperated in the fight against ISIL.
In November 2015, President Obama announced a plan to resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States. Obama's moderate approach to the Syrian conflict was criticized by many as the Syrian Civil War became a major humanitarian trouble spot. Supporters of President Obama argued that he deserved credit for keeping the United States out of another costly ground war in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump took office while the United States remained involved in a military intervention against ISIL, which still maintained control of parts of Iraq and Syria. There were roughly 4,500 American soldiers in Iraq as of February 2016 just after Trump took office. Under Obama, the United States also backed the Free Syrian Army against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad.
In the first unilateral military action by the United States targeting Ba'athist Syrian government forces during the Syrian Civil War, Trump authorizes a missile strike against Shayrat Airbase. On April 6, 2017, on the orders from President Trump, the USS Ross and USS Porter (both based in the Mediterranean) fired 60 Tomahawk missiles at Shayrat airfield, with 59 reaching the base. The United States had notified Russia, Syria's biggest ally, prior to the strike. The attack was retaliation for another chemical attack in the town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Province. The attack on Khan Sheikhoun had been launched from Shayrat. Two days earlier, on April 4, 2017, the town was the target of an airstrike by government forces followed by massive civilian chemical poisoning. The release of a toxic gas in the town killed at least 74 people and injured more than 557. The attack was the deadliest use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war since the Ghouta attack. In August 2017, a senior State Department official claimed that the Trump administration had "dramatically accelerated" the U.S.–led campaign against ISIL.He estimated that almost one-third of the territory taken from ISIL has been recovered in the past six months.
Syria presents a particular challenge that rests on the President's desk. On the one hand ISIL represents one of the largest threats to the United States. Ignoring the problem increases the potential danger it presents. It is difficult to justify support for Assad, who has openly participated in genocide on his own people. Aiding regime change risks escalating the conflict by inviting Russian intervention, and it also fuels anti-American sentiment in the middle east. Doing nothing allows a genocidal leader to continue to gas his own people and shows a lack of humanitarian concern. While many Americans wish that their country could just get out of the Middle East altogether, doing so likely results in larger problems down the road.