The Role of the Military in Syrian Politics and the 2011 Uprising

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Kurt V.

INSIGHT TURKEY, vol.18, no.2, pp.109-129, 2016 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 18 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Journal Name: INSIGHT TURKEY
  • Journal Indexes: Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.109-129

Abstract

In this research I examine the effect of the military on Syrian politics

and the uprising of 2011. I consider the military’s will to protect the

Assad regime in the context of the “army-party symbiosis” that has been

composed in the historical process. I rename this symbiosis as a power bloc

because of Assad’s designation of the military to be used not only against

external threats but also to protect his regime against the Syrian opposition.

The political and economic reforms implemented by Bashar al-Assad

did not affect this power structure, which is the source of the military’s will

to suppress the uprisings of 2011. The armed organizations which emerged

during the civil war, whether they are named as terror organizations or

not, will be a challenging factor not only in the resolution of the Syrian

crisis but also for the reorganization of the Syrian army.