The Syrian Conflict: The Difference Between Peace and Justice
The Syrian Conflict: The Difference Between Peace and Justice by Lauren Prudente, Georgetown Security Studies Review
The current United States strategy in Syria is to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but that cannot happen until the Syrian Civil War ends and the country is unified. The current US strategy is not equipped for ending the civil war due to its focus on the terrorist group. The violence must end, but the Syrian people will only have either peace or justice. The administration has vacillated between the just option of ousting President Bashar al-Assad and the option of using him to achieve a quicker peace…
The Syrian Civil War is the deadliest conflict in the 21st century and has left a void where the terrorist organization, ISIS, is able to operate and flourish. The civil war is complicated—multiple players and differing agendas in the region create a knotty and convoluted operating environment for US forces. This is why it is key for the civil war to end and the country to be unified before the United States can make strides in its fight against ISIS…
If the United States’ strategic goal in the region is to defeat ISIS, an end to violence simply to unify Syria may be a desired option for policymakers. Acquiring a peaceful resolution will most easily come at the negotiation table. This includes the continuation of the Assad regime and the absence of justice. This would end the violence quickly, with limited US military resources, and allow the United States to focus its efforts on ISIS…
