Warnings against neglecting the conflict in Syria
Amidst the ongoing crises in the Middle East, the Syrian issue remains central to conflicts in the region and poses a threat to regional stability due to the five foreign military powers interfering in Syrian territory and the steady influx of Iranian-sponsored Shiite militias using Syria as a base to advance Iran's hegemonic efforts. The Assad regime's ongoing commission of crimes against humanity against its opponents and those who oppose its authority is the reason why the state of rebellion persists in some of the country's regions.
Over 12 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes due to forced demographic change. The opposition has been using a pointless strategy to manage areas that are no longer under the control of the regime, and both the regime and the opposition use mercenaries in these efforts. Armed forces to assist their friends in global battles.
The separatist group also persists in breaking humanitarian and international law, as well as engaging in organized terrorism of various kinds directed at the Arab community residing in the area. ISIS, the other terrorist group, continues to operate at a low level and occasionally issues international warnings about the possibility of their activity resuming in Syria and Iraq in the upcoming years.
The anticipated breakthrough that would bring about regional stability and an improvement in humanitarian conditions does not seem to be happening.
There are three possible scenarios, ranging from extreme pessimism to extreme optimism. We prefer the middle scenario, but keep in mind that there are other scenarios that could occur within these three, and that local, regional, and international factors could change these scenarios once more:
In the worst-case scenario, we think that the Syrian conflict is still ongoing and that ongoing foreign intervention is causing violence in all of its manifestations to escalate. More crimes against humanity, human rights abuses, and restrictions on Syrians living abroad will result from the Assad regime's and its allies' growing influence in Syria, which is being bolstered by Iran and Russia. In this scenario, increasing regime violence may prompt terrorist, rebel, and separatist groups to step up their activities. As a result, the humanitarian, economic, livelihood, security, and military situations will worsen, causing more division and chaos throughout the nation.
In the best-case scenario, some regional and international parties' diplomatic efforts may be successful in bringing about a peace agreement that ends the Syrian conflict. This agreement would be based on the establishment of a joint transitional government made up of representatives from the opposition, the regime, and the separatists, with a gradual withdrawal and deportation of foreign forces. sectarian militias, prior to embarking on a long-term reconstruction strategy (despite the risk of catastrophic corruption), which results in a progressive amelioration of the living and humanitarian circumstances of Syrians and the commencement of their repatriation. However, given the current situation and the lack of genuine international pressure on the Assad regime to make concessions toward this solution, as well as the opposition parties' severe fragility and dispersion into rival and conflicting forces, as well as the international community's preoccupation with more urgent issues in the Middle East and worldwide, and their inability to reach a consensus on a political settlement in Syria, we do not see the possibility of achieving this scenario.
Regarding the intermediate scenario between them, which we generally anticipate to take place in the medium term (the next one to three years), there will still be foreign interventions and mutual clashes, but the conflict will remain intermittent and low intensity. The humanitarian, security, and living conditions in some areas might experience a slight and transient improvement, but the nation as a whole will continue to be characterized by chaos and future uncertainty due to the failure of international efforts to reach a political settlement. With the conflict still at its lowest level and the overall state of the economy continuing to worsen, the current situation is one of stagnation.
In conclusion, Syria's collapse and failure have never been, and never will, an internal issue. All Middle Eastern nations face security challenges as a result of this international and regional responsibility, which implies that all parties in the region must share some of the burden of solving this incredibly difficult issue. Many of the solutions put forth by certain regional powers aimed to maintain, freeze, or normalize the status quo, which in turn fuels further regional collapses and threats.
Going back to the first point, which is to impose genuine, gradual political change on the parties involved in the current crisis (the regime, the opposition, and the separatists) with support and guarantees from the regional and international community, continues to be the best way to restore stability in Syria and its environs. We think the regional powers have many of the means to accomplish this, given enough credibility. All parties must be put aside in the proposal and execution, and they must not move toward normalization with the ruins or align with one party at the expense of the problem.
Dr. ABD ALQADER NANAA
Prepared for the Consulting Office for the Middle East
Risks and Solutions