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Key Players in the Syrian Conflict

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Key Players in the Syrian Conflict Key Players in the Syrian Conflict Name: Assad regime / Syrian Iran – The Iranian government Russia – Russia has strong historic ties to the Assad ISIS / ISIL / IS / Daesh – Various names for ______________________________________________ government – Hafez al- has long supported the Assad regime. The Russian government has provided Assad’s the same group that split off from al-Qaeda in Assad ruled an authoritarian regime in Syria. Iran, with a government with troops, air support, weapons, training, Iraq. ISIS aims to create an Islamic state. military regime from 1970 to predominantly Shi’i population, and diplomatic support at the UN and in peace talks. Although it once controlled territory in Iraq 2000. His son, Bashar al- is believed to have given the Russia has an air base and navy base in Syria. Russia and Syria, it has been pushed out of Iraq and Assad, succeeded him and Assad regime military aid in the brokered a deal in 2013 to aid Syria in removing its controls a shrinking amount of territory in remains in power. The Assad form of training, weapons, and chemical weapons stockpile under UN Security Council eastern Syria. ISIS has recruited fighters from family is part of a ruling elite intelligence sharing. Aiding Resolution 2118. Russia intervened in Syria in October the region and from around the world. It has made up of predominantly Assad ensures an ally against 2015 with the stated goal of targeting ISIS, but the been able to sustain operations through oil Alawites, an offshoot of Shi’i Iran's regional rivals, Israel and United States claims that Russian forces have instead revenue, taxes, ransoms, and selling ancient Islam, who make up an Saudi Arabia. targeted non-ISIS rebel forces fighting the Assad regime. artifacts from conquered territories. estimated 12% of the population. Sunni Muslims comprise 75% of the Syrian population, while Christians make up about 10%. Many Syrian opposition / rebels – A Syrians oppose the Assad variety of political groups and regime’s brutal tactics in armed rebels – some with ties dealing with protests and to extremists – make up Syria’s opposition. opposition to the Assad regime. Sharp disagreements and a lack of unity have made it Hezbollah – An extremist difficult for coalitions to unite Shi’i militia group based in and gain international support. Lebanon with historically close ties to the Iranian government and the Assad Gulf states – Early in the regime. Syrian Civil War, many Gulf states (including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates) viewed support for Debating theU.S.ResponsetoViolenceinSyria Kurds - Kurds are the the Syrian opposition as a way withtheNewsOnlineResource Teaching world's largest ethnic group to reduce Iran’s influence in the without a state. Kurds make region. As the Syrian conflict up sizable minorities in Iran, has continued and instability Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. grows in the Middle East, there Kurdish militias have served is increased division among Gulf states about how to as key U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS. Source: Harris, Johnny, and Max Fisher. The War in Syria, Explained. Vox, 13 Apr. 2018, resolve the Syrian conflict. www.vox.com/2017/4/8/15218782/syria-trump-bomb-assad-explainer. United States – After the Assad regime used chemical weapons against Syrian civilians Jordan – The lengthy Turkey – From the beginning of the Syrian in 2013, the Obama administration threatened military force. Instead, UN Security Council conflicts in Syria and Iraq civil war, Turkey has been one of the main Key vocabulary Resolution 2118 authorized the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have had a tremendous supporters of Syrian opposition forces. As (OPCW) to establish procedures for the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons. In impact on Jordan. The part of the U.S.-led coalition, Turkish Proxy war – A conflict in which 2014, the Obama administration led an international coalition fighting ISIS in Syria and more than 600,000 Syrian President Erdogan supported airstrikes countries that oppose one another do Iraq. The United States provided air support, special forces support, and weapons to refugees who have fled to against ISIS targets. Turkey opposes Kurdish not fight each other directly, but instead Syrian rebels and Kurdish forces fighting ISIS. The United States largely avoided direct Jordan have severely gains in the region based on concerns that its support forces in another country conflict with Syrian forces, but President Trump ordered airstrikes against Syrian air stressed the country’s own Kurdish minority will want more aligned with their interests. bases (April 2017) and suspected chemical weapons research and storage facilities resources and already- autonomy. Turkey has taken in an estimated (April 2018) in response to alleged chemical weapons attacks against Syrian civilians. weak economy. 3.5 million Syrian refugees. 1 THE CHOICES PROGRAM ■ WATSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, BROWN UNIVERSITY ■ WWW.CHOICES.EDU.
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