War as the continuation of politics by other means: Unravelling the ‘tangled web’ that is the Syrian Civil War

Abstract

The Syrian civil war has raged for almost a decade, at the cost of thousands of lives, with millions of others displaced. It emerged as part of the wider Arab Spring. Protestors demanded reforms from the ruling Assad regime, which responded with repression. As outside forces then became involved, a civil war escalated into an intractable proxy war. Due to the range of actors involved, internal and external, regional and global, military and paramilitary, the Syrian conflict has been labelled a ‘tangled web’. Using a qualitative method based on textual analysis of a range of primary and secondary material, this thesis aims to untangle this complex web of competing forces, to better understand how a peaceful resolution can be found. Chapter one outlines various theories about the international system and nature of war, including Clausewitz’s ideas about war as a continuation of politics by other means. This provides the foundation for the discussion of the historical, political, and economic causes of the Syrian conflict in chapter two. Chapter three details the multitude of actors involved, analysing their agendas and interrelationships. The final chapter then considers the impediments to peace. What emerges is a picture in which many outside forces have fuelled the Syrian conflict, despite not having a clear idea of what they wish to achieve, nor how they wish to achieve it. This has resulted in a tragedy for the Syrian people, which stains the entire international community.