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Arab Spring no more
Born of idealism, Syria’s war is now a battle over Iran and the Sunni vs. Shiite rivalry. An expert explains
BY DAVID CASE, GLOBALPOST
As bombs rain down on Aleppo, Syria’s 17-month-old conflict has entered a new and dangerous phase.
Born of an Arab Spring-inspired desire for greater democracy, experts say that powerful geopolitical forces are now driving the war, with implications across the Middle East.
For an explanation of how the conflict is morphing into a proxy war, and how sectarian rivalries are fueling the violence, GlobalPost turned to Marius Deeb, Professorial Lecturer in Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Professor Deeb is a Syria expert and the author of Syria’s Terrorist War on Lebanon.
This interview has been condensed and edited by GlobalPost.
Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab, who departed from the Syrian government yesterday, is a Sunni Muslim — one of several high profile Sunnis who have split with the regime recently. Is there growing evidence of a sectarian divide in Bashar Al-Assad’s government? More broadly, early on Syria’s conflict was a struggle for liberty. Has that changed?
The protestors started out peacefully, seeking political reform. In the beginning, they were universal — encompassing all sects, and some of the young people are still thinking in these terms. But the regime used violence against them. This led to the emergence of the Free Syrian Army, to fighting against the regular army and to guerilla warfare.
Read More: http://www.salon.com/2012/08/08/inside_syria_arab_spring_no_more_salpart/
