Abstract:
By studying the internal factors of the 2011 crisis in Syria, this article aims to
describe causes led to the self-stimulation of some Syrian people in fighting
against the Assad government and in attempting to change the political system
of the country. Investigation of the Syrian crisis indicates that beside the
extensive support from the outside borders, the Assad government naturally and
inevitably has prepared the opportunity for the popular revolts to occur, and
resulted in the conversion of public hatred into a revolution. Based on Crane
Brinton’s findings in the book “The Anatomy of Revolution”, it seems that
Syria’s crisis is almost consistent and uniformed like the pattern of four
revolutions which Brinton studied. Symptoms such as: existence of a tyranny
and its inability to suppress revolutionaries severely and completely, and also
the prevalence of the notions like idealism and liberalism among
revolutionaries, which had a fundamental role in providing necessary and
sufficient objective and subjective aspects for the revolution, are also observed
in Syria’s crisis. While investigating the internal factors of the crisis, this article
tries to describe the symptoms of revolutionary fever which has resulted into
this crisis.
This article concludes that the internal symptoms of Syria’s revolutionary
fever can be categorized in four categories: 1- the historical hardship that had
dominated the country since a long time ago, and during Hafez Assad era,
resumed with an unexampled suppression, and left its effects on Bashar Assad’s
reign; 2- presence of extremist and Salafi groups in this crisis which has
resulted in advent of extremism in the country and rejection of any compromise
and talk with the government; 3- political, economic and social inefficiency of
Syria’s system that blemished its legitimacy and failed to suppress opposition
groups; 4- the political discourse of the government system as a result of
resistance discourse against Israel and the great powers. Focus on these issues
and through descriptive and analytical methods, the article has utilized library
resources, news sites, newspapers and field sources through interviews with
Syrian students in Iran and cognizant people.
Machine summary:
Imam Khomeini International University Ali Navazeni MA of International Relations, Imam Khomeini International University Abstract By studying the internal factors of the 2011 crisis in Syria, this article aims to describe causes led to the self-stimulation of some Syrian people in fighting against the Assad government and in attempting to change the political system of the country.
This article concludes that the internal symptoms of Syria’s revolutionary fever can be categorized in four categories: 1- the historical hardship that had dominated the country since a long time ago, and during Hafez Assad era, resumed with an unexampled suppression, and left its effects on Bashar Assad’s reign; 2- presence of extremist and Salafi groups in this crisis which has resulted in advent of extremism in the country and rejection of any compromise and talk with the government; 3- political, economic and social inefficiency of Syria’s system that blemished its legitimacy and failed to suppress opposition groups; 4- the political discourse of the government system as a result of resistance discourse against Israel and the great powers.
Until 2011, the Muslim Brotherhood, was not able to participate in Syria's domestic and foreign policy effectively, because on the one hand, its leaders disagree over strategy and on the other hand, the government's political and economic reforms made their fighting fruitless, but Changes resulting from the Islamic awakening or Arabic spring made it possible for it to once again gain ground in the Syrian society (ibid: 47-48).