Extreme Risky Crisis
Crisis Level: Extreme Risk Crisis (45.103 point)
Classification:
Based on our matrices-approach, the Syrian crisis is (Extreme Risk Crisis). That According to the following results:
Introduction:
According to our multi-matrices approach, the Syrian crisis is (Extreme Risk Crisis). That As a result of the following findings:
- After a 12-year-conflict, the Syrian crisis has become entrenched in the state's structure.
- It has been semi-active/stagnant since 2019 due mainly to sporadic military operations in different areas of Syria.
- Internally, it is a multi-party crisis. There are at least three parties (the government or Assad's regime, Kurds, and various groups of rebels).
- At the level of foreign military intervention, it is a multi-actor crisis with at least six interventionist foreign powers: the USA and its allies, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Israel, and Qatar.
- Foreign non-state military intervention in the Syrian crisis includes: ISIS, Al Qaeda, Shiite militias, Wagner PMC, and may be mercenaries.
- This crisis has a direct regional impact on Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq.
- Furthermore, it has an indirect impact on Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
- Meanwhile, Syria is ranked third worst in the world on the Fund for Peace Index, despite a 2.3% improvement last year, and remains on Very High Alert.
Results:
As a result, we have classified the Syrian crisis as a Extreme Risk Crisis. We assume that this level will persist at least in the medium term (three more years) because there is no political will to address it:
- Since the first day of the crisis, Assad's regime has rejected any genuine political changes that would push for a solution, while its security approach is extremely violent toward its opponents.
- The Syrian opposition is disjointed, lacks an agreed-upon program, is very weak and dependent on external dictates (particularly from Turkey and Qatar), and lacks local and international trust.
- The armed Syrian opposition has devolved into local armed groups seeking limited benefits under Turkish control.
- In turn, the Kurds are more than a militia and less than a separatist group, and they are untrustworthy because they cannot keep the lands they control without American assistance and lack a clear vision for managing the areas they occupy. Sometimes, they use extremism and terror against citizens and opponents.
- While the opposition and Kurds are powerless to manage their controlled areas on self-reliance, Assad's regime is impotent to control the entire Syrian territory or manage its area economically.
- Iran is the most influential country in Syria, with multiple spheres of influence: political, economic, military, social, religious, and institutional. It is hard to imagine Iran's influence in Syria ending in the short term.
- Russia has a direct military influence that cannot be challenged or threatened, which could last in the long term.
- Turkey wields political, military, and social influence that couldn't be withdrawn in the short term.
- Israel's military operations in Syria will continue as long as the situation in Syria remains unchanged.
- Qatar's indirect intervention, which includes support for opposition parties and Islamic extremists, is expected to continue in the short term.
- The Arab League countries are unlikely to reach an unanimous agreement to the Syrian crisis, let alone implement any proposed solution. As a result, Arab countries are expected to gradually open to Assad's regime.
- Despite numerous Security Council resolutions and international negotiating tracks, international efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis have failed.
- Several international sanctions prevent the Assad's regime from attempting to stabilize before implementing a political solution.
The Solution Requires:
- A new participatory governance formula by Assad's regime, the Syrian opposition, and the Kurds. (very low possibility in the present)
- Agreement on safe spots to which the Syrians will return inside Syria without reprisals from the regime or other parties. (very low possibility in the present)
- Collaboration between regional and Syrian actors to undermine Iran's influence in Syria. (unlikely in the present)
- An American-Russian settlement in Syria. (unlikely in the present)
- Turkish withdrawal from Syria. (very low possibility in the present)
Risk Warning:
As a result, the demographic crisis (which directly affects more than half of the population and indirectly affects everyone) will continue to interact, threatening the country's future and posing a threat to its neighbors.
Even if a temporary solution is reached, it will be fragile and prone to collapse, especially given that the Assad regime's current structure is not conducive to stable continuity, is incapable of restoring state sovereignty, and is incapable of managing the rebuilding process, based on its current political and military composition and methodology.
As a necessary consequence, the Syrian crisis has remained the vacuum's epicenter in MENA, becoming a magnet for chaos, extremism, and external intervention and competetion. As a result, Syria has become a hotspot of crisis and chaos.
This prospect will persist in the short term and may still in the medium term.
What exacerbates the risk of the Syrian crisis is that it is surrounded by two severe crises in Iraq and Lebanon, which may combine to form a highly-parlous regional crisis.
Dr. ABD ALQADER NANAA
Prepared for the Consulting Office for the Middle East
Risks and Solutions