Madeleine K. Some Contexts of the Syrian Crisis

Abstract

The research presents some of the contexts of the Syrian crisis which started in mid-March
2011. Those contexts contributed to creating disagreements concerning the opinions and attitudes
of the Syrian society. The study axes are: an overview of some features of the Syrian history; the
governance in Syria from Alexander the Great to the reign of Bashar Al-Assad; the religious and
ethnic diversity; the splitting of the Syrian community into supporters and opponents of the
government; and some data about the Syrian opposition and the woman in Syria. The Syrian
history which is full of conflicts, the religious and ethnic diversity with the absence of a sufficient
awareness, Assads´ policies, the Non-unity of the opposition and the absence of a clear vision, all
are factors creating and enhancing the rift in the Syrian society. The importance of research lies on
discussing the fogginess of the Syrian identity to understand the behavior of the Syrians with each
other, especially during the crisis time.