Regional Pressure Against Iran Raises Specter of Civil War In Syria
A member of the Free Syrian Army burns a portrait of President Bashar Al-Asad. Photo:Alessio Romenzi/Corbis
As Syrian president Bashar Al-Asad continues a bloody offensive against opposition fighters in Homs, Iran’s senior leadership also has a lot at stake with regard to the outcome of the fighting.
Since Iran’s eight year war with Iraq in the 1980s, Damascus has remained Tehran’s most dependable political and economic ally in the Middle East. A major component of Iran’s regional ambitions—for which Syria serves as a key corridor—has been Tehran’s backing of Hamas and the Lebanese political and militant group, Hezbollah.
Last year’s uprisings throughout the Middle East and North Africa have paved the way for Iran to expand its political influence in the region, as Arab governments who were once tough adversaries of the Islamic Republic are being forced to enact policies more reflective of sentiments on the Arab street, which is generally favorable towards Tehran.
Region-wide, the fighting in Syria has thus evolved into a competition for influence in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar—aligned with the US, Turkey and European Union—on one side, and Iran and Syria on the other.
Russia and China, who on Feb. 4 vetoed a draft Arab League-backed UN Security Council Resolution, calling for Al-Asad’s resignation, are using the current conflict in Syria to increase their strategic clout over Tehran and Damascus. In doing so, they are counteracting efforts by Washington and Gulf Arab states to weaken and eventually overtake Iran’s influence in the region by forcing Bashar Al-Asad from power.
“Syria has become the battleground for these two opposing alliances,” says Murhaf Jouejati, a former Syrian diplomat who is now a professor at National Defense University and member of the Syrian National Council.
Pro-government demonstration in Lattakia. Source: Wikipedia
Without a diplomatic consensus to end the standoff between Al-Asad’s regime and the Syrian opposition, what is currently a decentralized armed insurgency against the governing power in Syria, may soon deteriorate into civil war. In Tehran on Saturday, which marked the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Revolution, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was critical of the draft Security Council resolution, calling efforts to “prescribe freedom and elections” by regional governments who have never held elections “the most sarcastic joke of history,” according to Iranian state media reports.
The United States, European Union, Turkey and several Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and North Africa have since formed an independent “Friends of Syria” group to coordinate support for the Syrian opposition outside the purview of the UN. The first formal “Friends of Syria” meeting is slated for Feb. 24 in Tunisia.
On Sunday, the Arab League formally called for Arab states to cut diplomatic relations with Al-Asad’s government and provide “all kinds of political and material” support for Syria’s opposition. The League also on Sunday drafted a new UN Security Council resolution calling for the creation and deployment of a joint UN-Arab peacekeeping force. It is still unclear whether the Arab League’s initiatives include the provision of arms to the opposition Free Syrian Army, or will be limited in scope to humanitarian aid and the creation of civilian safe zones inside Syria.
Neighborhoods in Homs under artillery bombardment (8 February, 2012). Source-VOA on wikipedia.com
To date, the international community has stopped short of advocating direct military intervention in Syria, with Russia and Britain calling on Monday for a ceasefire by both the Al-Asad government and the opposition Free Syrian Army before any peacekeepers can be formally deployed. Any new draft UN Security Council resolution brought forward by members of the Arab League that calls for military aid for the Free Syrian Army is expected to be vetoed again by China and Russia, analysts say. If the Arab League and “Friends of Syria” decide to sidestep the UN and aid the opposition, Al-Asad is expected to escalate his current campaign to mete out the opposition’s insurgency, which according to the UN has already resulted in the deaths of well over 5,400 civilians in Homs alone.
The lack of a diplomatic consensus at the UN Security Council may soon leave Syria facing the specter of civil war. Already, weapons and Sunni Muslim insurgents are being funneled from Iraq into Syria, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing Iraqi arms dealers and security officials. There are also new fears that al-Qaeda may try to exploit the uprising, with leader Ayman al-Zawahiri releasing a videotape on Sunday calling on Muslims in Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Jordan to support the Syrian rebellion against Al-Asad.
If a ceasefire is not achieved, regional players, including Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf monarchies, Turkey, Iran, China and Russia, will fortify their alliances with opposing factions in Syria.
“We are faced with the divergence of state interests, in which Syria is one of the major battlegrounds,” says Mr. Jouejati.
Everybody knows that Israeli,Qatari,Libyan ,Turkish and other US allies countries' commandos are fighting against Syrian government in different cities of Syria . The reason is clear because Syria is against Israel . Israel's security is priority for the US so the American dogs try to do their best for their lord . Iran will back any country which stands in face of oppression and injustice .
[...] eyes of Gandhi and Martin Luther; both seen as radicals against their government. Today we observe Syria, a country in transition against tyranny, corruption and oppressed civilians. March 15, 2011 marked [...]