COUNTRY PROFI LE:

SYRI A

Once the centre of the Islamic Empire, Syria covers an
area that has seen invasions and occupations over the
ages, from Romans and Mongols to Crusaders and Turks.





At a glance
Politics: Political power, long held by a small mainly
Alawite elite, is being hotly contested in a civil war initially
inspired by the Arab Spring
Economy: The under-performing state-run economy has been
hard hit by the conflict
International: Syria has become a battleground for
competing interests in the Middle East, in particular
between the Gulf monarchies and pro-government Iran

A country of fertile plains, high mountains and deserts, it is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups,
including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shia and Arab Sunnis, the last of who
make up a majority of the Muslim population.

Modern Syria gained its independence from France in 1946, but has lived through periods of
political instability driven by the conflicting interests of these various groups.
From 1958-61 it united with Nasser's Egypt, but an army coup restored independence before the
pan-Arab nationalist Baath (Renaissance) party took control in 1963.
Soon coming under the control of a mainly Alawite faction of military leaders, it has ruled ever since,
although the 2011 uprising has cast doubt on its longevity.


Syria's conflict has steadily turned into a civil war
The Baath government has seen authoritarian rule at home and a
strong anti-Western policy abroad, particularly under President
Hafez al-Assad from 1970 to 2000. In 1967 Syria lost the Golan
Heights to Israel after the Arab defeat in the Six Day War. Civil war
in neighbouring Lebanon in the 1970s allowed it to extend its
political and military influence in that country.

Syria pulled its forces out of Lebanon in 2005, having come under intense international pressure to do so
after the assassination of Lebanese former prime minister Rafik Hariri. A UN report implicated Syrian and
pro-Syria Lebanese officials in the killing, although Damascus still denies any involvement.

The government deals harshly with domestic opposition. Tens of thousands are estimated to have been
killed in the suppression of the 1982 uprising of the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama.
Following the death of Hafez al-Assad in 2000 Syria underwent a brief period of relaxation. Hundreds of
political prisoners were released, but real political freedoms and a shake-up of the state-dominated
economy never materialised.
In 2011-12 security forces used tanks, gunfire and mass arrests to try to crush anti-government street
protests inspired by the Arab Spring in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. These protests rapidly took on a more
formal nature when the opposition began to organise political and military wings for a long uprising against
the Baath government. As 2012 wore on, the stand-off escalated into civil war, with defections from the
governing elite signalling the steady collapse of central authority.

International isolation

On the world stage Syria became increasingly isolated in recent years, coming under fire for its support for
insurgents in Iraq and over its role in Lebanon. That isolation showed brief signs of easing after efforts by
France to bring Syria back into the international fold in 2008, but Syria's violation of a UN ban on arming the
Lebanese Hezbollah militia led to the extension of US sanctions in May 2010.

Further international sanctions were imposed amid the bloody repression of protests in the descent into civil
war. By December 2012 the US, Turkey, Gulf states, France and Britain had recognised the main
opposition National Coalition of the Syrian Revolution as the "sole legitimate representative of the Syrian
people", signalling their belief that the Assad government is beyond redemption.

The rise of the Al-Nusra front, a radical Islamist militia allied to al-Qaeda, in rebel ranks led to a marked
cooling of international and regional support for the opposition in mid-2013, and allowed the government
and its Hezbollah allies to launch a counter-offensive.

The Assad governments have been among the most intransigent opponents of peace with Israel, and have
supported several anti-Israel armed groups - most notably Hezbollah and the Gaza-based Palestinian
group Hamas. Hopes for reconciliation have repeatedly foundered over Syria's support for these groups
and the vexed question of the Golan Heights.