Syria Reflection

The thing that stood out to me above all else when learning about Syria is how hard it is to break the cycle. What I mean by "the cycle" is oppressive governments in third world or Middle Eastern countries, and how they stay this way for decades on end. 

Although things are undoubtedly terrible in Syria currently, the countries modern history has not been optimistic either. Prior to Bashar al-Assad and the problems he has been responsible for, his father governed the country for multiple decades. Not only did he never relinquish power, showing not only his but the countries true color as a government, but also under his rule the country faced an oppression regime. Although it was not nearly as bad as how the countries currently stands, the continues state under the dictator saw restrictions on many rights. 

Following Bashar’s brothers death and his subsequent accession to the throne, there was a brief period of optimism for the country and the restricted rights of its citizens. However, this hope would be short lived, as al-Assad would soon return to his fathers oppressive ways. I don’t believe it was ever a question of “could he/the government just try harder” in term of establishing a long term change but more a question of how long was this facade going to last. It would be much to bold too assume the son of someone that had produced the type of results Bashar’s father had to be much different. His performance should also not come as a surprised due to the fact that as soon as his brother died, he was tapped and therefore expected to one day take the throne, qualifications and all other standards that actually mattered aside. The worst of it all perhaps, is that despite not only constant pressure from world leaders to step down after his country broke out in civil war on top of proof numinous orders he gave broke international laws, there does not seem to be an end in sight. 

Syria is one of many countries that has faced continuous problems such as these in the past few decades. With leadership being passed down, contested in ridged elections, or some other undemocratic form, it becomes extremely difficult for countries to break the cycle. As we have seen in recent years, the only way this cycle is usually broken is through some dramatic action. Although this might possibly be successful, it will undoubtedly result in many lives lost, thousands of people jailed, almost all rights stripped away, and ultimately put citizens of the given nation through months, if not years, of hell. Even when this does not happen, such as outside intervention, citizens are still forced to endure hardships between their government and the foreign country for extended periods of time. Comparatively, even though this would often be the better choice of the two, it still is no easy task to endure. This is the true tragedy Syria, and many countries around the world like it, are faced with.