Americans more concerned with issues at home than Arab Spring uprising
As violence in Syria floods the headlines, I find myself more and more confused about what it is that Syrian people are actually protesting — and, of course, if the U.S. will get involved.
Despite President Bashar al-Assad’s claims that the almost yearlong uprising has been the work of a few dedicated insurgents and limited to the countryside, violence has leaked its way into cities and, consequently, into international news. Al-Assad has been in office since 2000, effectively creating a dynasty by succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled from 1971 until his death in 2000. Bashar al-Assad has no intention of giving up power anytime soon.
What the protesters want is a more complicated concern. Some protestors are simply for democracy, while others are oppressed religious members wanting to be heard. The largest issue in the protest, however, is similar to those of the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. The younger citizens, often in their teens and twenties, find themselves with decent educations but no real power.
There is no voice of the people in Syrian politics, so they have little power to change policies or restructure the economy in a way that allows them to advance. Yet, the goals are vague, and I’m skeptical as to whether Syria has the unified power needed to overturn a regime. The people aren’t the only ones learning from Egypt’s example.
As it turns out, the U.S. is usually only concerned with Syria in relation to its neighbors Iran and Israel — not that I’m criticizing; the U.S. has enough to deal with already. While it may seem like a strategic move for the U.S. to try to make an ally out of Syria right now, its already close relationship with Iran could cause harsh backlash to any interference by the U.S.
There’s already talk of Iran offering to help al-Assad with weapons and man power after a recent scuttle in Syria’s capital, Damascus. Regardless of how this battle ends, things aren’t looking good for Israel. If al-Assad is overthrown, the anti-Israeli sentiment still remains and is likely to be the attitude that the new leader inherently holds.
Though the U.S. has better relations with Syria than it does with Iran, there is ultimately little we can do. But, we should definitely care. If Syria’s regime is replaced with a democracy, then we may see a natural shift toward alliances with the U.S. and a shying away from more radical, combative countries. In fact, doing little to interfere may be the proper strategic move in this case, as the verdict on al-Assad’s fate is still uncertain.
The al-Assad family dominates the power of security and army forces, opposed to the systems in Egypt or Tunisia, where the army is a separate force. In a way, the regime will still exist as a unit, regardless of whether or not the minority uprisings succeed. Not to sound underhanded, but it may be in our best interest to wait for a winning side to emerge.
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