The Syrian Unrest. What are the Generals thinking in the Syrian Army

In the back drop of Arab awakening the protests started in Syria in March this year. Initially the Syrian regime of Bashar al Asad down played the uprising blaming the US, the west and Israel for fuelling the disturbances. President Bashar al Asad was of the opinion that his citizens will not rise up against him as his regime was following an anti-Israel policies, a factor that was visibly missing in other Arab countries. However that was not to be. The President miscalculated the sentiments of the people who were actually fed up with the dictatorial regime and wanted a true democratic system. The protests started from southern town of Derra and quickly spread to all parts of the country.

The regime reacted with full force to crush the uprising. The whole security apparatus was ruthlessly employed against the citizens asking for their democratic rights. According to an estimate the regime has killed over 2000 civilians including women and children. Reportedly the Syrian Army has been using heavy weapons including the tanks in cities like Hama to demolish the houses. The footages of atrocities are unbelievable as such brutal actions are not taken even against the enemy forces. Instead of budging before the demands of the people, Bashar al Asad has even gone ahead to plunge the country into a bloody civil war. There have been frequent demonstrations in favor of the sitting president alleging loyalty with the person who is continuously slaughtering his own people. Obviously such demonstrations do not reflect the popular sentiment of the public and are taken to be as ‘orchestrated’.

Since there is no let up in the killing spree by the regime, the peaceful protests are turning into violent ones. Reportedly the ‘miscreants’ have blown gas pipelines and are poised to commit other acts of sabotage also. The regime complains that 150 of the military personnel have been targeted and killed by the armed protestors. If this state of affairs is allowed to continue the country is likely to suffer huge setback, only to benefit the enemies. It is high time that the situation should be controlled immediately and the only organization that can do it at this point of time is the Army.

The Army is always a stabilizing factor in any country and is the last resort to ensure peace, stability and cohesion in the country. If the army gets weak or divided or it becomes a party to the internal conflict, then the destiny of that country is a devastating civil war. During political disturbances when the police fails to control the situation, the army is called in aid of civil power. It imposes curfews and tries to maintain law and order. However if the situation gets worsen and it seems that the only solution to the crisis is a change of the regime, then the army does not commit further bloodshed and smoothly carries out the change of the rules. That was the role played by the army in Egypt and Tunisia. The situation Libya was different where Col Qaddafi had never allowed the Libyan Army to be organized on professional lines. The tribal affinities totally marred the efficiency and discipline of the army and the result was a civil war.

Syria is a predominantly Muslim country with 74 percent Sunni population whereas Bashar al Asad comes from Alwite Shia that constitutes 15 percent of the population. A number of elite units of the army are recruited from Shia faction in order to ensure loyalty. Apart, the news are also coming that the President is utilizing the resources from Hizbullah and Iran to crush the uprising in his country. If that is the case, it is very unfortunate that the dictator is doing his best to prolong his rule. Same was done by Qaddafi who brought mercenaries from other African countries to target and kill his opponents. The result was a bloody civil war, foreign interference and complete devastation of Libya.

So far the Syrian Army has vehemently supported President Bashar to retain his hold at the peril of thousands of innocent civilians. Now is the time that the army realizes that this is not just a political disturbance. People want a change and change for the good. They want a true, multi-party democracy in place. This is genuine demand and should be honored. The Syrian Army should rise above the religious and ethnic affiliations and promptly act in the best interest of the country. The army should know that their future is tied with the country and not with one person, the President. Syria belongs to its people and not to one person or one dynasty. The country should not be allowed to be ruined in a bid to keep one person in power. It is time that the generals should give it a serious thought and intervene in support of the people. The army should not stage a coup but should broker a deal in which Bashar is compelled to leave the power in favor of the people. Let not another Libya be created in the Middle East.