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Hamza al-Khateeb -

Hamza al-Khateeb, a 13-year-old boy, was detained by Syrian forces on April 29, 2011, during a protest outside a military housing complex in Saida, approximately 10 km (six miles) from the Syrian city of Deraa.

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Tortured body -

A month later, his lifeless body was returned to his family. His body held signs of unspeakable torture. 

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Deraa -

Hamza was one of over 400 people who had been killed in the Deraa area alone in the month after the Arab Spring commenced in Syria. Widespread and systematic torture, as well as extrajudicial executions, quickly became common.

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Family forced to sign document -

To access the body, his family was forced to sign a declaration promising silence and immediate burial, a regular practice by Syrian regime forces. Declarations sometimes included confessions that the deceased were terrorists.

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Impunity -

News of his horrid death made rounds on social media. Printed images of his face appeared at protests internationally. His story became an example of how the Syrian government behaves with impunity.

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Turning point -

While the Arab Spring was already well underway, Hamza’s death marked a turning point that further fired protests and public unrest.

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Extreme violence -

Over a decade after the death of Hamza, the country has been marked by extreme violence. By 2023, there were at least half a million documented civilian deaths and more than 100,000 were forcibly disappeared, with their whereabouts still unknown. Well over 22 million people were displaced.

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Russia-Syria alliance -

Syrian regime forces, led by Bashar al-Assad, have received key support from Russia and Iran. Russia’s airstrikes, which remain ongoing in rebel-held areas, were pivotal in helping al-Assad to squash opposition efforts.

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Syria-Iran relations -

Similarly, Iranian forces have been a huge backing to al-Assad’s efforts to gain control over rebel-held areas. In addition to troops, Iran provided the Syrian government with a great deal of financial support.

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Rebel groups -

Rebel groups, desperate for international backing in an otherwise guerilla-esque movement against the Syrian state and its allies, received initial support from the United States, Turkey, and some European countries.

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ISIS -

The emergence of the ISIS movement marked a significant shift in Western support for rebel groups and escalated violence throughout the country and its neighbors.

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Crisis -

By 2023, over six million Syrians were internally displaced, with an additional six million forced to seek refuge abroad, overwhelmingly in neighboring countries.

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Humanitarian aid -

Insecurity in Syria remains at a high, with over 15 million people requiring some sort of regular humanitarian assistance just to survive.

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Idlib -

This has been particularly devastating for those living in rebel-held areas, specifically Idlib, who have experienced the withholding of aid and starvation campaigns, among other measures to force a surrender.

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Destruction -

Vital infrastructure, entire neighborhoods and cities, and cultural heritage sites have all been subjected to significant damage, if not outright destruction.

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The 13th year -

At the beginning of its 13th year, the United Nations special envoy Geir Pedersen stated that the ongoing conflict was “untenable… defies humanity and logic.”

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Control over the country -

With the assistance of Russia and Iran, the Syrian government was successful in exerting control over the majority of the country again. By 2024, al-Assad was in control of over 70% of Syrian territories.

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United Nations -

While the United Nations continues its efforts to arrive at a just political solution that includes a transitional government, any peacemaking developments came to a near-total halt with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Syrian economy -

In addition to the cost of human life and suffering, the war in Syria has had serious implications for the Syrian government. Its economy remains in shambles, furthered by international sanctions, while food and water insecurity are rampant.

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Approximately 90% of Syrians in poverty -

Although elite communities in Syria are somewhat stable, approximately 90% of the Syrian population lives in poverty. International sanctions pose grave limitations to the nation’s ability to recover, further debilitating civilians.

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Reconstruction efforts -

Given the challenges that the Syrian leader faces, he has turned to his allies once more in an attempt to reconstruct the country, despite not being viewed as a legitimate leader by many nations.

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Belt and Road Initiative -

For the path forward, al-Assad turned to an ally of its ally: China. As part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure program China is pushing publicly as part of its international relations strategy, the country has decided to heavily invest in over 150 countries and several international organizations.

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Agreements signed -

Seeing a clear economic opportunity, given the attractiveness of Syria’s Port of Latakia, China and Syria have reportedly signed several agreements as part of what will likely be a long future of strategic partnership.

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China-Russia alliance -

China’s alliance with both Russia and Syria creates even more distance between Western sanction-driven positions and support of opposition movements, further feeding into already tense geopolitical differences.

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Unclear path forward -

It is unclear how China’s reconstruction efforts will come to fruition given the sheer amount of destruction in the country, China’s general adherence to international sanctions that inhibit a lot of business activities in the country, and its risk-aversion positions.

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US-China tensions -

As tensions between the United States and China continue to grow, and threats to the economic relationship between the nations will likely be furthered with the impending Trump administration, analysts expect China to start engaging in major pushback.

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Escalations -

Syria continues to be largely isolated by the international community. Escalations of internal tensions against rebel forces increased in October 2024, culminating in a series of Russian and Syrian airstrikes.

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Israeli airstrikes -

Israel, too, has engaged in airstrikes in several areas of Syria, including Damascus neighborhoods, creating anxieties for a further spillover of regional warfare.

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Political solution urgently needed -

The process to rebuild Syria is not only riddled with geopolitical tensions between the nation’s allies and opposition collaborators, but also with severe humanitarian devastation that will likely only worsen until a political solution is found.

Sources: (Peace Research Institute Oslo) (NPR) (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (The New Arab) (International Center for Dialogue Initiatives)

See also: A new Cold War? The rising tensions between the US and China

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