Eleven years since the Syria uprisings

Assad’s refusal to step down and his decision to use the might of the military against the population led to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.

As we mark 11 years to the outbreak of uprisings in Syria, one must remember how the uprisings evolved into a civil war, and then into an international conflict and proxy war.

The uprisings in Syria followed those that unfolded in Tunisia and Egypt, in which both presidents resigned.

In Syria, the uprisings began as a result of the arrests and deaths (according to the Syrian opposition) of several teenagers who painted graffiti that stated “Down to Assad” on one of the walls of their hometown, Deraa, in southwest Syria.

It is no mere coincidence that the uprisings broke out in the periphery, after years of drought and Syrian President Bashar Assad’s focus on urban development, unlike his father, who relied on the periphery to consolidate his power.

Thus, the existing grievances, along with the sparking event of the arrests and possible deaths of the teenagers, led to uprisings in Deraa, in which the statue of Assad the father was demolished, marking the beginning of uprisings throughout Syria.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-701271