aos4 Flashcards
Crisis Diplomacy
Negotiations between global actors in response to crisis, most commonly concerning conflicts and national disasters, but also economic and health crises
Crisis Diplomacy Example
UN Mediated Peace talks in 2016 in Geneva between the Syrian Government and oppositition.
International Cooperation
When Global Actors work together to achieve common ideals and goals
International Cooperation Example
2014 operation ‘Inherent Resolve’ involved 12 states initiating air strikes against Iraw and Syria.
Unilateralism
A policy of acting alone, with little regard for the views or interests of other global actors, in pursuit of foreign policy objectives.
Unilateralism Example
Obama has stated that he is willing to act unilaterally in striking Syria after the UK voted in August against military intervention.
Causes of interstate conflict
Undemocratic system Economic Development Nationalism War as an instrument of state policy Cultrual differences
Resolving armed interstate conflict
Diplomacy and Negotiation
Shuttle Diplomacy
Intervention and Occupation
Peacekeeping
Causes of armed intrastate conflict
economics geographic factors ethnicity fallout from an interstate conflict justice seeking security
Responding to armed conflict
intervention
provision of a neutral military presence
technical economic assistance to facilitate growth
prosecuting war crimes
Resolving armed conflict
less likely to be resolved through diplomacy
crush oponents
Causes of terrorism
Technology Social instability States losing their monopoly of violence Revolutionary socialism, nationalism, religoin Publicity Reactionary Last resort to influence without standing army Ease of weapons trade
Responding to Terrorism
Anti-terrosim and counter-terrosim tactics
legalisation
intervention
Causes of the Syrian Conflict
Geographic
Ethnic
Political
Arab Spring
Geographic causes Of Syria
Syria borders Turkey, Iraw, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon and is geographically strategic.
A famine in 2006-2011 was the worst recorded and many rural Syrians were left in poverty and crammced into cities that already had high unemployment rates
Ethnic Causes of Syria
Majority Sunni Muslim Arabs, but Syria also contained Christians, Catholics, Alawis, Shia Muslims, Yazidis, Jurds, Jews and Druze.
There is not national identity.
Political Causes of Syria
Bashar Al-Assad succeeded his father in 2000, and while he initially attempted to improve international and domestic relations he reverted in 2001 to the regime of his father and impriosoned political advocates and caused dissonance.
Arab Spring Causes of Syria
2010 Tunisia began a series of protests against a corrupt government, which sparked a series of protests across the Arab Penninsula in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen causing four governments to be overthrown by September 2012.
Syrians called for free and fair elections in 2011, but not Assad’s resignation. In March, security forces opened fire on protesters in Dara’a, killing four. Further crackdowns triggered anti-government protests.
May 2011 the death toll was 1000 people.
Civil War Declared in Syria
July 2012
Local Responses to Syrian Conflict
Syrian National Council formed to represent those opposed to rgime in 2011
Free Syrian Army formed in 2011 from Army defectors. Engaged in street fighting across south west and north east Syira to reclaim cities.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant supported the formation of an Islamic Caliphate and fought both Assad and other rebels with terrorism such as car bombs and sucide attacks.
July 2013 beheaded FSA commanders.
Assad response to Syrian Conflict
door-to-door arrests
firing on unarmed civilian protesters
shooting medical personnel who aided the wounded
January 2013 state terrorism. Dropped cluster bombson the town of Latamneh.
Arab League response to Syrian crisis
Suspended Syria's membership threatened to imposed travel bans freeze assets termnate transactions to Syrian banks January 2012 referred the issue to the UN
UN response to Syrian crises
Resolution 2042 established a six point proposal for peace.
2013 called for an inspection of Syrian government’s stockpiles of chemical weapons. 21 our of 23 sites were inspected and 1290 tonnes of chemical agents were destroyed.
Geneva Peace talks in 2016 managed to create a ceasefire in mid-2016, but this has since collapsed.
US response
US and its allies under operation ‘Inherent Resolve’ have ototated air strikes against both Iraq and Syria commencing in 2014 September.
September 2016 up to 40 US Special Operations Forces in the area.
Russia Response
Has used its veto or threatened to use its veto to all USC resolutions that were critical of the Assad Regime.
Supplied YAK-130 jets, fuel, munitions and military advisors.
Syria is an important trade ally, with $20 billion invested.
Other states response
Iran is wary of successors, so is figting with Assad.
Sunni Muslim Gulf States are on side with the opporition as they oppose Iran and its Shia state.
Iran supports Hezbollah. Israel does not.
Use of Torture to combat terrorists
Assad has been accused of using a state policy of torture. Attacking civilians who were engaged in protests, not terrorists.
Human Rights Watch in 2012 has been documenting how Syria has been breaking international law by engaging in torture against its citizens.
