Eight years after the beginning of the Revolution in Syria, the Assad government has defeated the democratic Opposition largely. Their defeat has many causes. Lack of support from abroad is one of them.
Germany does not want to engage in humanitarian aid for Syria more than in the past. To about 1.4 billion euros, the Federal government will increase its contribution to the auxiliary organizations of the United Nations. “So we are the second largest donor in the Region,” said development Minister Gerd Müller at the Syria donors ‘ conference in Brussels.
Politically, however, Germany has looked after the Welfare of the country. The hope for a democratization of Syria has done, after the government of Bashar al-Assad has defeated with the help of their allies, the Opposition is largely military. The expectations in a new political culture that had sparked the Revolution eight years ago, in March 2011, have not been met.
Multi-cultural mosaic destroyed
Amazing the not, says the scholar of Islam Daniel Gerlach. The government in Damascus have followed since time immemorial with one goal in mind: to guard against possible coup attempts. “She has not done in decades, hardly anything else than an uprising.” This you have not done only with the help of their secret services and the military. At the same time, they have prepared themselves politically. They have a set especially on a tactic: to divide the population of the country along ethnic and religious line or to deepen these differences, where they were already present.
Triumph: Syrian government troops in July 2018
Consistently the government have under both Hafez al-Assad, as then his son, Bashar advantage of the fact that Syria was a multi-cultural mosaic. Its components have turned consistently against each other, by fanning the fear of the individual groups from each other. “It is the Regime to force the population of Syria in the loyalty camp. Each of these groups has recommended it as a protector,” says Gerlach, who has these mechanisms in detail in his just published book, “The middle East does not go under”.
Weak democratic Opposition
Add to this The political pressure that the government exerts for decades on the population, have contributed to a democratic Opposition could not get out. Before the Revolution of 2011, there were two Main oppositional organizations: The Islamist groups, but were not themselves democratic, and of those most critical of the regime Syrians expected, consequently, no pulses. And on the other a secular, Communist-oriented Opposition. “Their representatives were very consistent: they were willing to go for their political affiliations, to prison,” said Gerlach. “You, however, had no plans to overthrow the Regime by force. In addition, they were not organized really strong.”
Similarly, it also looks Abdulbaset Sieda, the former President of the opposition Syrian national Council. “The Regime in dealing with the country, the mentality of a gang, which is based on nothing more than force of arms.” Therefore, there have been no political Opposition, the articulate would be the concerns of the population and are politically able to implement.
No international support
This also had consequences for the launched in 2011, uprising. In the beginning, the Opposition had no clear political program, and that’s why many citizens do not convince. I, in turn, made the government slightly, to combat the insurgents. “The Opposition has not managed, the individual population groups, such as Alawis, Christians, Kurds and Druze to address and integrate.” However, there was no Opposition to support from the outside, so are You in a DW interview. “Internationally, there was little willingness to stand with us and to solve the problems of the country.”
The Almighty state: Syrian secret service employees in March 2011 against protesters
The decisive step for the Opposition would have had to be to the population and to bring behind, says Daniel Gerlach. The Regime had split the Opposition internally and its individual components against each other can play. The jihadist groups have contributed their part to the columns of the uprising. Because many Syrians would not want to join them. “In this way, large blocks are created, between which the democratic Opposition has been crushed.”
Cosmopolitan Visions
It is, however, doubtful whether the Regime can maintain its sole Power to really have, Abdulbaset Sieda. In Syria, international spheres of Influence were created. So the Turkey is in the North-West is a dominant factor in the North East of the USA, in the South and around Damascus, Russia and Iran. This Situation would be likely to remain. “That’s why we need to focus Syrians on ourselves. The path to a solution is a long one. A magic formula that you could, at a stroke, solve, does not exist.”
However, says Daniel Gerlach: The political culture to Overcome the situation in the long term. Syria had long been a cosmopolitan country, whose citizens had met the democracy in many Western countries. “These people know how democracy works. Despite the devastating outcome of the war is quite positive. According to recent estimates, the vast majority of Syrians favored a democratic System.”
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Painstaking reconstruction in Homs
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