Nationalism and Independence of Syria

My country Syria gained its independence in 1946, from the French occupation as a parliamentary republic. Syria was under the Ottoman Empire’s rule until the French occupied Damascus, forcing Prince Feisal to flee abroad in 1920. Then the Nationalist agitation against French rule developed into a national uprising. This caused France to agree to Syrian independence as long as it maintained its military and economic dominance. After World War II started in 1940, Syria came under the Axis power after France lost against the German forces. In 1941 General De Gaulle, the leader of Free France, promised to end the French mandate. In 1946, the last French troops left Syria.

Today, Syria is one of the most dangerous countries in the world after the recent political crisis started in March 2011. In addition, some of the major issues in Syria today are civil war, terrorism, and the use of chemical weapons. First the civil war started because the Syrian rebels wanted more democracy, freedom, and reforms from the government. However, the Syrian government responded with violence, which caused the death of lots of protesters. Some countries, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, reacted quickly against the Syrian government by supplying the rebels with aid, food, and weapons. The use of weapons by the Syrian rebels made it harder for the Syrian government to stop the protesters, which caused the government to use chemical weapons because they were more effective than the normal weapons. Although the civil war and the use of chemical weapons in Syria were some of the big issues for the government and Syrian rebels, facing terrorism was the biggest issue for the government and the Syrian rebels. The Syrian rebels don’t agree with the terrorists because they both have two different goals. The goal of the terrorists is to make an Islamic State controlled by a dictator. On the other hand, the Syrian rebels want a more democratic government so that the Syrian citizens gain more control. Currently, the Syrian government and the rebels are fighting terrorism, such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the Islamic State. However, the terrorists are gradually gaining more control. Syria’s independence is threatened by the Islamic States, which are now believed to control half of the country.  

 

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