The Role Of The United Nations In Conflict Resolution Of The Syrian War (2011-2020)

Syria’s civil war begun in March,2011 as a result of the Arab spring protests.These are a series of protests that went on in the Arab states,opposing the current regime.These protests first begun in 2010 in Tunisia.Then later got to Syria.Syria’s political stability was questionable even before the onset of the war,before Assad took over his late father,Hafez al-Assad.Hafez al-Assad,who was Syria’s minister of defense,took over as the head of state in a military overthrow in 1970.He was then succeeded by Bashar al-Assad in 2000,following his father’s demise.With Assad’s reign,the Syrian people had hope for a better state,as they saw Assad as the step in the right direction.However,this was cut short.The freedom of association and expression were suppressed by the government.Gatherings were banned.The economy went downhill,and only favored the elites,while the middle class opted for survival.Then came the drought,which resulted into shortage of food and water.People who lived off farming were left with no source of livelihood and forced to move to the urban areas for survival.These are among the reasons that triggered the war.Come March 2011,a group of young people did anti-Assad graffiti and were later arrested by the government.The mistreatment of the people by the government officials prompted the protests that resulted into bloodshed.The Syrian war then got to the attention of the international community.The United Nations,formed in 1945 with an aim of maintaining peace and security in the international community,intervened.This organization was formed as a result of the failure of the League of Nations.Over the years,the United Nations has had peacekeeping operations in different countries from different continents to restore peace.The organ of the United Nations that ensures peace and security is maintained and take the necessary measures while at it,is the United Nations Security Council.This is in accordance to Articles 41 and 42 of the UN charter.The United Nations intervention in the Syrian war,gave the international community an assurance to see the end of the Syrian war in no time.However,ten years later,Syrian civil war is still on going.What are the missteps taken for this war to take this long to be resolved?There is bloodshed.Many people have lost lives.Some Syrians had to flee for their safety and are now refugees to countries such as Lebanon.The future of the state of Syria is unclear yet.The people of Syria are gradually losing hope for a better tomorrow.Clearly,the international community has failed Syria.Looking at the war,there are many players in the conflict;Iran;Turkey;US;Russia.One of the reasons why the conflict is unresolved.The states involved in the Syrian conflict are only blinded by their interests and not the quest to restore peace in the war deserted state.In addition to that,members of the UNSC also have conflicting interests when it comes to matters Syria.US and Russia and rivaling,as they support conflicting sides in the conflict.Russia supports Assad’s government while on the other hand US offers support to the opposition.This makes the Syrian issue more complicated.It is difficult to reach a drawing line when the UNSC,especially the permanent members have no shared objective.The reason for the topic of this research;The Role of the United Nations in Conflict Resolution of the Syrian civil war.This paper seeks to understand why the Syrian war has been going on for years without any signs of it being resolved.The paper takes a look at the history of Syria before the war,and also after.It defines the role played by each player in the Syrian conflict,both international and regional players.The paper then discusses the UN’s intervention in the war and the role it played.An evaluation of the role the United Nations played in the conflict,will help us find out why peace is not yet restored.The United Nations’effectiveness in handling the conflict is in question.However,all is not lost.At least not yet.