SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC

Juan Pablo Manjarres

OHCHR

2019
GEOGRAPHY
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Land boundaries:
total: 2,363 km
border countries (5): Iraq 599 km, Israel 83 km, Jordan 379 km, Lebanon 403 km,
Turkey 899 km
Natural resources:
petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt,
marble, gypsum, hydropower
Land use:
agricultural land: 75.8% (2011 est.)
arable land: 25.4% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 5.8% (2011 est.) / permanent
pasture: 44.6% (2011 est.)
forest: 2.7% (2011 est.)
other: 21.5% (2011 est.)
Population distribution:
significant population density along the Mediterranean coast; larger concentrations
found in the major cities of Damascus, Aleppo (the country's largest city), and Hims
(Homs); more than half of the population lives in the coastal plain, the province of
Halab, and the Euphrates River valley
note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution
Geography - note:
the capital of Damascus - located at an oasis fed by the Barada River - is thought to
be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities; there are 42 Israeli
settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli -occupied Golan Heights (2017)

PEOPLE AND SOCIETY

Population:
19,454,263 (July 2017 est.) (July 2018 est.)
note: approximately 22,000 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights (2 016)
country comparison to the world: 62
Nationality:
noun: Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian
Ethnic groups:
Arab ~50%, Alawite ~15%, Kurd ~10%, Levantine ~10%, other ~15% (includes Druze,
Ismaili, Imami, Nusairi, Ass yrian, Turkoman, Armenian)
Languages:
Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, English
Religions:
Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%),
Christian 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3%, Jewish (few
remaining in Damascus and Aleppo). The Christian population may be considerably
smaller as a result of Christians fleeing the country during the ongoing civil war

Population below poverty line 82.5% (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate 50% (2017 est.)
50% (2016 est.)

Refugee crisis

 Syrians continued to be the largest forcibly displaced population in the world, with
12 million people at the end of 2016. That’s more than half of the Syrian
population.
 More than 5 million people have fled Syria seeking safety in Lebanon, Turkey,
Jordan and beyond. In Lebanon, where more than 1 million Syrian refugees
reside, there are no formal refugee camps and approximately 70 percent of Syrian
refugees live below the poverty line.
 In Jordan, over 66 0,000 Syrian refugees are trapped in exile. Approximately 80%
of them live outside camps, while more than 140,000 have found sanctuary at the
Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps. 93% of refugees in Jordan live below the
poverty line.

GOVERNMENT
Government type:
presidential republic; highly authoritarian regime n
Republic under Authoritarian Presidential Rule
Capital:
name: Damascus
Administrative divisions :
14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah (Latakia),
Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq (Damascus),
Halab (Aleppo), Hamah, Hims (Homs), Idlib, Rif Dimashq (Damascus Countryside),
Tartus
Independence:
17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Legal system :
mixed legal s ystem of civil and Islamic law (for family courts)
International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non -party state to the ICCt
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Najah al-
ATTAR (since 23 March 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister Imad Muhammad Dib KHAMIS (since 22 June
2016); Deputy Prime Minister W alid al -MUALEM (since 23 June 2012)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a
7- year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 3 June 2014 (next to be
held in June 2021); the president appoints the vice presidents, prime minister, and
deputy prime ministers

election results: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD
(Ba'th Party) 88.7%, Hassan al-NOURI (independent) 4.3%, Maher HAJJER
(independent) 3.2%, ot her/invalid 3.8%
Legislative branch:
description: unicameral People's Assembly or Majlis al -Shaab (250 seats; members
directly elected in multi -seat constituencies by simple majority preferential vote to
serve 4- year terms)

elections: last held on 13 April 2016 (next to be held in 2020)

election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 80%, other 20%; seats by party - NPF
200, other 50; composition - men 217, women 33, percent of women 13.2%
Judicial branch:
highest courts: Court of Cassation (organized into civil, criminal, religious, and military
divisions, each with 3 judges); Supreme Constitutional Court (consists of 7 members)

judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Supreme
Judicial Council (SJC), a judicial management body headed by the minister of justice
with 7 members, including the national president; judge tenure NA; Supreme
Constitutional Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the SJC;
judges serve 4-year renewable terms

subordinate courts: courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military
courts; Economic Security Court; Counterterrorism Court (established June 2012)
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G -24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national
committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAP EC, OIC, OPCW , UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRW A, UNW TO, UPU, W CO, W FTU (NGOs), W HO, W IPO, W MO,
W TO (observer)

ECONOMY
Syria's econom y has deeply deteriorated amid the ongoing conflict that began in
2011, declining by more than 70% from 2010 to 2017. The government has struggled
to fully address the effects of international sanctions, widespread infrastructure
damage, diminished domestic consumption and production, reduced subsidies, and
high inflation, which have caused dwindling foreign exchange reserves , rising budget
and trade deficits, a decreasing value of the Syrian pound, and falling household
purchasing power. In 2017, some economic indicators began to stabilize, including
the exchange rate and inflation, but economic activity remains depressed and GDP
almost certainly fell.

During 2017, the ongoing conflict and continued unrest and economic decline
worsened the humanitarian crisis, necessitating high levels of international
assistance, as more than 13 million people remain in need inside Syria, and the
number of registered Syrian refugees increased from 4.8 million in 2016 to more than
5.4 million.

Prior to the turmoil, Damascus had begun liberalizing economic policies, including
cutting lending interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating m ultiple exchange
rates, raising prices on some subsidized items, and establishing the Damascus Stock
Exchange, but the econom y remains highly regulated. Long -run economic constraints
include foreign trade barriers, declining oil production, high unemployme nt, rising
budget deficits, increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in
agriculture, industrial contaction, water pollution, and widespread infrastructure
damage.

GDP (purchasing $50.28 billion (2015 est.)

power parity) $55.8 billion (2014 est.)
$61.9 billion (2013 est.)
notes: data are in 2015 US dollars
the war-driven deterioration of the economy resulted in a disappearance
of quality national level statistics in the 2012-13 period
GDP (official $24.6 billion (2014 est.)
exchange rate)
GDP - real growth NA% (2017 est.)
rate -36.5% (2014 est.)
-30.9% (2013 est.)
note: data are in 2015 dollars
GDP - per capita $2,900 (2015 est.)
(PPP) $3,300 (2014 est.)
$2,800 (2013 est.)
note: data are in 2015 US dollars

Agriculture - products wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef,
mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Industries petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock
mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, automobile assembly
Debt - external $5.699 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$5.085 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Exchange rates Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar -
514.6 (2017 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin:

agriculture: 20% (2017 est.)

industry: 19.5% (2017 est.)

services: 60.8% (2017 est.)

GINI
For 2004 Syria had a GINI index of 35,80
MILITARY FORCES
Military branches:

Syrian Armed Forces: Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (includes Air Defense
Forces), Intelligence Services (Air Force Intelligence, Military Intelligence);

Ministry of Interior: Political Security Directorate, General Intelligence Directorate,

National Police Force (2018)

TERRORISM
Terrorist groups - home based:

al-Nusrah Front:
aim(s): overthrow Syrian President Bashar al -ASAD's regime, absorb like-minded
Syrian rebel groups, and ultimately, establish a regional Islamic caliphate
area(s) of operation: headquartered in the northwestern Idlib Governorate, with a minor
presence in Halab Governorate; operational primarily in northern, western, and
southern Syria; installs Sharia in areas under its control; targets primarily Syrian
regime and pro-regime forces, some minorities, other Syrian insurgent groups, and
occasionally W estern interests (April 2018)

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS):

aim(s): an alias of the al-Nusrah Front; overthrow Syrian President Bashar al -ASAD's
regime, absorb like-minded Syrian rebel groups, and, ultimately, establish a regional
Islamic caliphate
area(s) of operation: Northwest Syria (December 2018)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS):

aim(s): replace the world order with a global Islamic state based in Iraq and Syria;
expand its branches and networks in other countries; rule according to ISIS's strict
interpretation of Islamic law
area(s) of operation: ISIS has lost most of the territory it once controlled and now its
overt territorial control is limited to pockets of land along the Syria-Iraq border and in
southern Syria (April 2018)

Terrorist groups - foreign based:

Abdallah Azzam Brigades (AAB):

aim(s): disrupt and attack Shia Muslim and W estern interests in Syria
area(s) of operation: remains operational; conducts attacks against primarily Shia
Muslim organizations and individuals, including Hizballah members, and W esterners
and their interests (April 2018)

al-Qa'ida (AQ):
aim(s): overthrow President Bashar al-ASAD's regime; establish a regional Islamic
caliphate and conduct attacks outside of Syria
area(s) of operation: operational primarily in Idlib Governorate and southern Syria,
where it has established networks and operates paramilitary training camps (April
2018)
Ansar al-Islam (AAI):
aim(s): remove Syrian President Bashar al-ASAD from power and establish a
government operating according to sharia
area(s) of operation: operationally active in Syria since 2011; launches attacks on
Syrian Government security forces and pro -Syrian Government militias; some AAI
factions combat ISIS, while others are aligned with ISIS (April 2018)

Hizballah:
aim(s): preserve Syrian President Bashar al-ASAD's regime
area(s) of operation: operational activity throughout the country since 2012; centered on
providing paramilitar y support to President Bashar al -ASAD's regime against armed
insurgents (April 2018)

Kata'ib Hizballah (KH):

aim(s): preserve Syrian President Bashar al-ASAD's regime
area(s) of operation: deploys combatants to Syria to fight alongside Syrian Government
and Lebanese Hizballah forces (April 2018)

Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK):

aim(s): advance Kurdish autonom y, political, and cultural rights in Syria, Turkey, Ira q,
and Iran
area(s) of operation: operational in the north and east; majority of members inside Syria
are Syrian Kurds, along with Kurds from Iran, Iraq, and Turkey (April 2018)

Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC):

aim(s): destroy the state of Israel; enhance its networks in Syria
area(s) of operation: maintains limited networks for operational planning against
Israel (April 2018)

Palestine Liberation Front (PLF):

aim(s): enhances its networks and, ultimately, destroy the state of I srael and establish
a secular, Marxist Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital
area(s) of operation: maintains a recruitment and training presence in many refugee
camps (April 2018)

PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC):

aim(s): preserve Syrian President Bashar al-ASAD's regime
area(s) of operation: maintains a political base in Damascus; fights with President al -
ASAD's forces and Hizballah in areas where anti -regime paramilitary groups are
active (April 2018)

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP):

aim(s): enhance its recruitment networks in Syria
area(s) of operation: maintains a recruitment and limited training presence in several
refugee camps (April 2018)

TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES

Disputes - international:

Golan Heights is Israeli -occupied with the almost 1,000 -strong UN Disengagement
Observer Force patrolling a buffer zone sinc e 1964; lacking a treaty or other
documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon -Syria boundary are
unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a
Farms in the Golan Heights; 2004 Agreement and pending dema rcation would settle
border dispute with Jordan
Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 16,325 (Iraq) (2017); 551,873 (Palestinian Refugees) (2018)

IDPs: 6.2 million (ongoing civil war since 2011) (2018)

stateless persons: 160,000 (2017); note - Syria's stateless population consists of Kurds
and Palestinians; stateless persons are prevented from voting, owning land, ho lding
certain jobs, receiving food subsidies or public healthcare, enrolling in public
schools, or being legally m arried to Syrian citizens; in 1962, some 120,000 Syrian
Kurds were stripped of their Syrian citizenship, rendering them and their descendants
stateless; in 2011, the Syrian Government granted citizenship to thousands of Syrian
Kurds as a means of appeasement; however, resolving the question of statelessness
is not a priority given Syria's ongoing civil war

note: the ongoing civil war has resulted in approximately 5.7 million registered Syrian
refugees - dispersed in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey - as of January
2019
Trafficking in persons:

current situation: as conditions continue to deteriorate due to Syria’s civil war, human
trafficking has increased; Syrians remaining in the country and those that are
refugees abroad are vulnerable to trafficking; Syria is a source and d estination
country for men, women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
Syrian children continue to be forcibly recruited by government forces, pro -regime
militias, armed opposition groups, and terrorist organizations to serve as sold iers,
human shields, and executioners; ISIL forces Syrian women and girls and Yazidi
women and girls taken from Iraq to marry its fighters, where they experience
domestic servitude and sexual violence; Syrian refugee women and girls are forced
into exploitive marriages or prostitution in neighboring countries, while displaced
children are forced into street begging domestically and abroad

tier rating: Tier 3 - the government does not fully comply with the minimum standards
for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; in
2014, Syria’s violent conditions enabled human trafficking to flourish; the government
made no effort to investigate, prosecute, or convict trafficking offenders or complicit
government officials, including those who forcibly recruited child soldiers; authorities
did not identify victims and failed to ensure victims, including child soldiers, were
protected from arrest, detention, and severe abuse as a result of being trafficked
(2015)

Illicit drugs:

a transit point for opiates, hashish, and cocaine bound for regional and W estern
markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it
vulnerable to money laundering
SYRIAN WAR
Since the early 1970s, Syria has been controlled by a single family – first by a man named Hafez al-
Assad, who seized power in 1970, and then by his son Bashar al-Assad, who succeeded Hafez in
2000 and has ruled Syria ever since.
The Assad family is Alawite, which means they adhere to a minority branch of the Islamic faith that
is related to Shiite Islam. However, Alawite Islam is not the majority religion in Syria: most of the
population is Sunni Muslims. The relationship between the Sunni branch of Islam and the Alawite
and Shiite branches is extremely adverse; both believe followers of the other sect are not true
followers of Islam. In order to maintain power, the Assad regime has ruthlessly suppressed the
Sunni population ever since Hafez al-Assad came to power, fostering conditions ripe for an
uprising.
In 2011, a series of revolutionary anti-government uprisings spread across the Middle East, which
has been referred to as the Arab Spring. The kick-off incident was the Tunisian Revolution in
December of 2010, which emboldened anti-government rebellions throughout other Arab countries.
In Syria, a civil uprising against Assad’s regime began as public demonstrations and protests, but
as the government clamped down with harsh security measures, the uprising intensified into violent
armed conflict. The long-suppressed Sunni Muslims saw this as an opportunity to overthrow the
Alawite Assad Regime and to create a Sunni Arab nation in its place. Thus, the Syrian Civil War
began.
The Syrian Civil War is a complicated web of alliances and rivalries, which has drawn several
international actors into its turmoil.
Assad’s Allies
Iran, a predominately Shiite Muslim nation, is supporting Assad due to the close relation between
Alawite Islam and Shiite Islam. Iran also has an interest in keeping Assad in power because it has
significant influence over him, and because Syria is strategically positioned close to Iran’s enemy,
Israel.
Following Iran’s lead is Hezbollah, a Shiite terrorist group which operates as Iran’s proxy. Hezbollah
supports Assad because of Iran’s influence.
Iraq is also supporting Assad. Iraq’s central government is dominated by Shiite Muslims, and
therefore it fears a Sunni-controlled Syria.
Finally, Russia has entered the fray on Assad’s side. Russia has several interests in Assad’s
continued dominance. First, it desires to protect its military bases that it has established in Syria,
and to increase its control in the Middle East. Second, allying with Assad will provide Russia with
more influence and favor from his regime in the future. Finally, Russia seeks to oppose the United
States’ interests in the Middle East.
Assad’s Enemies
Things get more complicated when one explores the various forces opposing Assad’s regime. This
is because the opposition is not a single unified force, but rather several disparate groups, each
with its own purpose and goals, and many of these forces are not allies of one another.
The primary rebel force opposing Assad’s regime is the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which formed in
2011. The FSA is headed by a body called the Supreme Military Council (SMC). The FSA, however,
has been characterized as a loose coalition of armed groups, rather than a unified army. The
individual groups operate more-or-less independently, with their own command structures, and
simply report to the SMC through the chain of command. The SMC in turn functions mostly as a
channel for foreign funding and arms supplies.
Two radical Jihadist groups have also joined the fray: the al-Nusra Front and ISIS – the Islamic
State. Although they operate as separate entities, both groups want to overthrow Assad and
establish an Islamic caliphate that will extend beyond Syria’s borders.
Several international actors have organized into an “international coalition” against Assad and in
favor of the rebels. The primary member of this coalition is the United States, which has supported
some rebel groups, which it considers to be “moderate,” with weapons, financial support, and some
training. The United States’ primary goal, however, is to contain ISIS, unlike the rebels who
primarily wish to remove Assad and establish a Sunni state. As such, the U.S. has focused its air
strikes only against ISIS targets, and not directly against the Assad government. Saudi Arabia,
Qatar, and Turkey are also members of this international coalition, and are primarily opposed to
ISIS.
Thus, the presence of radical Jihadist groups (particularly ISIS) has created a complicated triangle
of hostility among the various actors: ISIS is opposed to Assad and his allies, Assad and his allies
are opposed to ISIS and the other rebel groups, and the rebel groups are opposed to Assad, but
are also backed by an international coalition led by the United States which primarily seeks to
defeat ISIS.
Assad’s Goals
Assad’s primary goal is to suppress the Sunni rebel groups and maintain his authoritative control
over Syria. However, the regime’s military strategies have exacerbated disorder, perpetrated severe
human rights violations, and fostered an atmosphere of instability, which has allowed radical jihadist
groups such as ISIS to expand and grow in strength.
This represents a serious threat to American interests, which the current administration has failed to
properly address. In addition, it poses a clear and present danger to Christians in the region, as
persecution quickly expands and with extraordinary barbarity. Furthermore, all of the primary
combatants in this war (Assad, the rebel forces, and ISIS) are enemies of Israel, including the so-
called “moderate” rebel forces that the United States has been supporting. Thus, the situation in
Syria is an extremely critical one that cannot be ignored or underplayed.

Red: Syrian Government

Yellow: Syrian Democratic Forces

 Arbitrary detention
The autonomous administration of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in northern Syria is
using the repression of terrorism and the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS)
as a pretext to unlawfully detain and unjustly judge peaceful critics and civilians whom it
considers sympathizers or members of suspected terrorist groups, said Amnesty
International.
"The autonomous administration of the PYD can not use its fight against terrorism as an
excuse to violate the rights of people in areas under its control," said Lama Fakih, Amnesty
International's general counsel on crisis situations.
The autonomous administration of the PYD governs some parts of northern Syria since
2014, following the withdrawal of Syrian government forces. It has police, courts, prisons
and its own laws.
The area controlled by the PYD administration regularly suffers attacks from the IS. This,
in addition to attacking the security positions of the Asayish and the YPG (forces controlled
by the PYD), has directly attacked the civilian population in the areas controlled by the
PYD government, killing, displacing and kidnapping residents.
In 2014, the administration approved a new anti-terrorist law that it uses to detain and
prosecute alleged terrorists.

Freedom of the press

The Syrian National Information Council (CNI) claimed on Sunday that the fight against
terrorism is a prerequisite for the protection of Syria's freedom of the press, criteria, beliefs
and cultural diversity, constrained by the constant attacks of Islamic radicals .
In a communiqué the Syrian CNI denounced that "the bearers of the takfirí thought (Islamic
extremist) impede the freedom of opinion and of cult in the country" by diverse methods,
among them the attack and kidnapping of journalists, as well as the armed assault to their
work places.

REFERENCES
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html

https://www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/statistics/

https://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/syria/government

https://www.indexmundi.com/syria/economy_profile.html
https://knoema.es/atlas/Rep%C3%BAblica-%C3%81rabe-Siria/%C3%8Dndice-GINI

https://aclj.org/middle-east/the-syrian-civil-war-and-its-effects

https://syriancivilwarmap.com/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16979186

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14703995

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/whos-who-syrias-civil-war