Violence Flares in Syria

Once more it seems violence has taken hold of another society, this time Syria's. Violence suddenly flared as kidnappings and deaths rose starting Sunday, with reports of both sides instigating events. Gangs of armed men roamed the streets of Homs abducting people from their homes and killing them, instigating some of the worst violence since the protests in march. This surge in violence is representative of sectarian conflict as Sunni's and Alawites continue to force each other out of homes and towns. This is just yet another happening caused by deeply rooted sectarian tensions in Syria. While protests against the government continue, tensions and conflict between sects often go overlooked as violent surges are thrown in with the violence committed by the government. This could also be true of this occurrence, as more than 25 people have also been killed in Homs by security forces in recent days. Also relating to the violence between Sunnis and Alawites, is that Bashar al-Assad and his top elite are Alawite, while most of the country is Sunni. This rift between the oppressive ruling class and the majority of the country only increases sectarian distrust and tension as many blame each others sect as the cause for problems. This problem can be found in many other Arab countries, where the majority and minority sects and parties often end up hating each other due to political/religious factors.

Protest against the regime of Syrian president Bashar al Assad' . The banner reads: "Sunni, Alawite, Christian, Druze...I am Syrian"

 

 

 

While this sectional divide may create more conflict as seen in this recent string of kidnappings, often the protestors do not care what minority they are in, they rally around the cause against Assad as one. As seen above, these poplar protests go beyond the sectional tensions, as they are about removing Assad from power and restoring a just democracy rather than majority vs. minority politics, although sometimes it seeps in, as evident here. However despite this, many believe that sectional tensions will fall away under the cause to overthrow Assad. While supporters of Assad might be mostly alawites (due to the ruling class being mainly alawites) many also oppose him and see him as tyrannical. Therefore, it does not simply come down to Sunni vs. Alawite politics.

US ambassador Robert Ford meets with Bashar al-Assad and representatives of the Syrian government.

Another problem with dealing with a country with a clear cut minority/majority aspect is that voices are often dismissed because of sect, religion, tribal affiliations, and whatnot. This problem is one that Hillary Clinton and US ambassador Robert Ford wish to address when he makes his way back to Damascus on Tuesday. Clinton recognized not only the need for Assad to step down or make serious reform, but also for minorities and majorities to have their voices heard in a fair, democratic way in any new government that may become of the uprising.