Research Project Part2 POLS 2280
What areas of political science interest you the most, and why?
International relations, a field in political science, fascinates me to explore. It is because it encompasses a global perspective on affairs that extends across international boundaries. It cuts across various disciplines such as history, political science, and economics to expound on global issues such as poverty, human rights, and the nature of the global political environment. Unprecedented security threats, an unstable economic environment, the focus on human rights protection in the world, and preservation of the natural environment defines how complex international relations studies are in the 21st century. Therefore, international studies must center its focus on the multidisciplinary exploration of areas that seek to provide long-lasting solutions to the problem related to public policy. In the contemporary society, the study of international affairs seeks to provide answers to recurrent problems such as the origin of civil wars in countries like the Middle East and what should be done to restore peace in those regions. It also seeks to draw a global perspective of the nature and exercise of power and investigate the role played by state and non-state actors in the decision-making process.
What issue, event, institution, or behavior – SPECIFICALLY – interests you in this area?
A topic that interests me the most in international relations is the civil wars experienced in the Middle East, specifically Syria. Being centrally located in the Middle East, whenever Syria gets mentioned, the thoughts that ring in someone’s mind are strife, political instability, chaos, and turmoil. It is placed in the middle of a region that is currently experiencing consistent international and civil wars. Over the years, the Middle East has witnessed a massive government failure, bloody disagreements among citizens, and a massive uprise of terrorists and militia strongholds (Baltes, 2016). In Syria, the problems such as small clan wars, which were seen to pose minute threats to national unity before, have massively grown to be a significant security threat facing the whole country. The need to alleviate the situation has attracted outside forces such as the United States, who are determined to reinstate peace and strengthen national cohesion.
Research Questions
It should be noted that, as the wars are still going on, it is currently hard to establish the root cause of the problem. Therefore, the leading causes are based on different points of view, which can vary from time to time. When the war is over, the world will have time to reflect, and the causes will be more transparent. Below are some of the leading research questions investigating the factors that led to political instability and civil wars in Syria.
What are the Causes of the Civil Wars in Syria?
The main cause of the Syrian civil wars was President Assad’s act rising into a seat of great power through inheritance. The independent variable was the fact that the people demanded a change in the system of government as they felt that their interests were not well represented in Assad’s reign. Assad’s rule’s opposers got fractured into many small militia groups, which developed their interests to overthrow the reigning government. In this scenario, several militia groups’ rise represents the dependent actors in the Syrian Civil War.
Researches to Investigate how the War Happened
The onset of the Arab Spring Movement was the independent actor that stirred revolts against the authoritarian government of Bashar al- Assad. Despite the undivided military support from the security personnel, the ongoing wars in the neighboring region, such as Iraq, paved the way for Islamic states. They sucked Syria into ugly wars with Saudi Arabia and Iran. The later were dependent variables or actors who ensured that the region’s condition in the region worsened.
Which other countries were involved in the Syrian Civil Wars
The independent actor that started the Syrian war was Iran. Iran started supplying them with military support to prop Assad’s army. It is because to access Syria in which they would be able to counterweight Israel’s nuclear weapons. As a result, it arose a dependent actor who was Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries such as the UAE who were passionate to replace Assad’s with a friendlier government that would counter the control of Iran’s rising political power in the Middle East.
Why were the Civil wars So Fatal
In this context, Assad’s government was the independent variable. He believed that he would restore peace through coercion of the Syrian people into submission. The dependent actors were the rebels. As the rebels were not strong enough to overthrow Assad’s government and as a result, the magnitude of the destruction leads to the deaths of many people while almost accomplishing close to nothing. Other dependent actors, such as foreign bodies seeking to alter the dynamics, failed miserably. Therefore, the government’s weakness and the rebel groups resulted in the death of many Syrians with fewer accomplishments.
How did the Islamic State rose to power?
The independent actor who brought the Islamic States is the wars against Afghanistan by the Soviet Union in 1979 and Iraq’s attacks by the United States in 2003. The Al-Qaeda and the Sunni merged to fight against the Shiite, who were fighting alongside the American. It rebranded itself to Islamic State during the Syrian war and led the successful attempts of breaking famous extremists from the Iraqi prisons.
Conclusion
The peace intervention treaties in Syria and other Middle East countries alike have come with a hefty price. Despite their intervention strategies, it is clear that they are not close to leaving because the problem continues to magnify every other day. By this, these countries are jeopardizing their lives as well as those of their citizens. As others suggest that other countries such as the United States should not have invaded Iraq as retaliation to the bombing of the World Trade Centre, it is still debatable whether this triggered international players to meddle in the region.
Reference(s)
Baltes, C. M. (2016). Causes and Consequences of the Syrian Civil War.