Arab Spring & Syrian Conflict

Arab Spring
The Arab Spring is the media term for a revolutionary wave of non-violent and violent demonstrations, violent and nonviolent protests, public violence, and civil wars in the Arab world that began on 18 December 2010. The series of protests and demonstrations across the Middle East and North Africa has become known as the "Arab Spring" and sometimes as the "Arab Spring and Winter", "Arab Awakening"or "Arab Uprisings" even though not all the participants in the protests are Arab. It was sparked by the first protests that occurred in Tunisia on 18 December 2010 in Sidi Bouzid, following Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation in protest of police corruption and ill treatment. With the success of the protests in Tunisia, a wave of unrest sparked by the Tunisian "Burning Man" struck Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, and Yemen, then spread to other countries. The largest, most organized demonstrations have often occurred on a "day of rage", usually Friday afternoon prayers. The protests have also triggered similar unrest outside the region.

Tarek al-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi

Mohamed Bouazizi was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire on 17 December 2010, in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that he reported was inflicted on him by a municipal official and her aides. His act became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution[2] and the wider Arab Spring, inciting demonstrations and riots throughout Tunisia in protest of social and political issues in the country. The public's anger and violence intensified following Bouazizi's death, leading then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power.

After effects of Arab Spring on Middle East

Thousands of people were died and uncountable were injured in Civil uprising war in Arab World. Almost 50 thousand to 1 lakh above people were victimized. It is international estimate and it is ongoing. As of September 2012, governments have been overthrown in four countries. Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on 14 January 2011 following the Tunisian revolution protests. In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak resigned on 11 February 2011 after 18 days of massive protests, ending his 30-year presidency. The Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown on 23 August 2011, after the National Transitional Council (NTC) took control of Bab al-Azizia. He was killed on 20 October 2011, in his hometown of Sirte after the NTC took control of the city. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed the GCC powertransfer deal in which a presidential election was held, resulting in his successor Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi

formally replacing him as the president of Yemen on 27 February 2012, in exchange for immunity from prosecution. During this period of regional unrest, several leaders announced their intentions to step down at the end of their current terms. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced that he would not seek re-election in 2015, as did Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose term ends in 2014, although there have been increasingly violent demonstrations demanding his immediate resignation. Protests in Jordan have also caused the sacking of four successive governments by King Abdullah. The popular unrest in Kuwait has also resulted in resignation of Prime Minister Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah cabinet. The geopolitical implications of the protests have drawn global attention, including the suggestion that some protesters may be nominated for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Tawakel Karman from Yemen was one of the three laureates of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize as a prominent leader in the Arab Spring. In December 2011, Time magazine named "The Protester" its "Person of the Year". Another award was noted when the Spanish photographer Samuel Aranda won the 2011 World Press Photo award for his image of a Yemeni woman holding an injured family member, taken during the civil uprising in Yemen on 15 October 2011. The regional unrest has not been limited to countries of the Arab world. The early uprisings in North Africa were inspired by the 20092010 uprisings in the neighboring state of Iran; these are considered by many commentators to be part of a wave of protest that began in Iran, moved to North Africa, and has since gripped the broader Middle Eastern and North African regions, including additional protests in Iran in 20112012. In the countries of the neighboring South Caucasusnamely Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia as well as some countries in Europe, including Albania, Croatia and Spain; countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Burkina Faso, and Uganda; and countries in other parts of Asia, including the Maldives and the People's Republic of China, demonstrators and opposition figures claiming inspiration from the examples of Tunisia and Egypt have staged their own popular protests. The protests in the Maldives led to the resignation of the President.

Causes
The Arab spring is widely believed to have been instigated by dissatisfaction with the rule of local governments, though some have speculated that wide gaps in income levels may have had a hand as well. Numerous factors have led to the protests, including issues such as 1. Dictatorship or absolute monarchy 2. Human rights violations 3. Political corruption 4. Economic decline 5. Unemployment 6. Extreme poverty 7. And a number of demographic structural factors, such as a large percentage of educated but dis-satisfied youth within the population.

Goals
1.Democracy 2.Free and Fair Elections 3. Human rights 4. Regime change

Social Media and the Arab Spring

The importance of the role of social media on the Arab uprisings has been largely debated. Some say that social media was the main instigator of the uprisings, while others claim that it was merely a tool. Either way, the perception of social media has changed; its role in the uprisings has demonstrated to the world its power. Such information allowed the world to stay updated with the protests and facilitated organizing protests. Nine out of ten Egyptians and Tunisians responded to a poll that they used Facebook to organize protests and spread awareness. Furthermore, 28% of Egyptians and 29% of Tunisians from the same poll said that blocking Facebook greatly hindered and/or disrupted communication. In revolutions that were previously started on Facebook alone were rapidly quashed by secret police in those countries, so much so that in Egypt a prominent activist group always had "Do not use Facebook or Twitter" on the front and backs of their revolutionary material. Further evidence that suggests an important role of social media on the uprisings is that social media use more than doubled in Arab countries during the protests. Some research has shown how collective intelligence, dynamics of the crowd in participatory systems such as social media, has the immense power to support a collective action such as foment a political change.

The graph depicting the data collected by the Dubai School of Government illustrates this sharp increase in Internet usage. The only discrepancy in the trend is with the growth rate in Libya. The report proposes a reasonable argument that explains such discrepancy: many Libyans fled the violence, and therefore moved their social media usage elsewhere. This influx of social media usage indicates the kind of people that were essentially powering the Arab Spring. Young people fueled the revolts of the various Arab countries by using the new generation's abilities of social networking to release the word of uprising to not only other Arab nations, but nations all over the world. As of 5 April 2011, the amount of Facebook users in the Arabian nations surpassed 27.7 million people, indicating that the constant growth of people connected via social media acted as an asset where communication was concerned. Others have argued that television, in specific the constant live televisions coverage by Al Jazeera English and the sporadic live coverage of BBC News and others, was highly important for the 2011 Egyptian Revolution as the cameras provided exposure and prevented mass violence by the Egyptian government in Tahir Square, as opposed to the lack of such live coverage and the more widespread violence in Libya. The ability of protesters to focus their demonstrations on a single area and be covered live was fundamental in Egypt, but was not possible in Libya, Bahrain and Syria. Different sorts of media such as image and video were also used to portray the information. Images surfaced that showed current events, which illustrated what was going on within the Arabian nations. The visual media that spread throughout the Internet depicted not only singular moments, but showed the Arabian nation history, and the change that was to come. Through social media, the ideals of rebel groups, as well as the current situations in each country received international attention. It is still debated whether or not social media acted as a primary catalyst for the Arab Spring to gain momentum and become an internationally recognized situation. Regardless, it has still played a crucial role in the movement.

Major Events
Tunisia
Ruler: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (24 years) Protest Started: 18 Dec. 2010 Status: Govt. overthrown, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali flees into exile in Saudi Arabia. Death Toll: Almost 338

Egypt
Ruler: Hosni Mubarak (30 years) Protest Started: 25 jan. 2011 Status: Government overthrown but protest ongoing. Hosni Mubarak sentenced to life in prison for ordering the killing of protesters. Death Toll: Almost 846 (ongoing)

Libya
Ruler: Muammar Gaddafi Protest started: 15 Feb. 2011 Status: Government overthrown, Gaddafi killed by rebel forces. Government defeated by armed revolt with UN-mandated military intervention Death Toll: Almost 25000-30000 +

Yemen
Ruler: Ali Abudullah Saleh Protest started: 27 Jan.2011 Status: Govt. overthrown. Saleh granted immunity from prosecution. Death toll: Almost 2000

Syria
Ruler: Bashar-ul-Asad Protest started: 26 Feb.2011 Status: Civil war is ongoing between military and civilians. President of Syria is using power against protesters. Politician Suhair Atassi become an unofficial spokesperson for the "Syrian revolution. Death toll: Almost 90 thousand plus (ongoing).

Bahrain
Ruler: Hamad Ibn Isa Al Khalifa Protest Started: 14 Feb. 2011 Status: Protest is ongoing. President is trying to resolve the issue . Death toll: Almost 120

Syrian civil war (Syrian Conflict)

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Syrian Ba'ath Party government and those seeking to oust it. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. These demonstrations were part of the wider Middle Eastern protest movement known as the Arab Spring. Protesters demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has held the presidency in Syria since 1971, as well as the end of Ba'ath Party rule. In April 2011, the Syrian Army was deployed to quell the uprising, and soldiers fired on demonstrators across the country. After months of military sieges, the protests evolved into an armed rebellion. Opposition forces, mainly composed of defected soldiers and civilian volunteers, remain without central leadership. The conflict has no clear fronts, with clashes taking place in many towns and cities across the country. The Arab League, United States, European Union, and other countries condemned the use of violence against the protesters. The Arab League suspended Syria's membership because of the government's response to the crisis, but granted the Syrian National Coalition Syria's seat on 6 March 2013. Until middle 2012 the armed conflict had not reached the biggest cities of Damascus and Aleppo. Late 2011 marked growing influence of the Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra within the opposition forces, and in 2012 Hezbollah entered the war in support of the Syrian army. The regime is further upheld by support from Russia and Iran, while Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan transfer weapons to the rebels. In June 2013, the death toll was updated to 92,900100,000 by the United Nations. According to various opposition activist groups, between 75,365 and 100,195 people have been killed, of which about half were civilians, but also including 61,000 armed combatants consisting of both the Syrian Army and rebel forces, up to 1,000 opposition protesters and 1,000 government officials. By October 2012, up to 28,000 people had been reported missing, including civilians forcibly abducted by government troops or security forces. According to the UN, about 4 million Syrians have been displaced within the country and 1.5 million have fled to other countries. In addition, tens of thousands of protesters have been imprisoned and there are reports of widespread torture and terror in state prisons. International organizations have accused both government and opposition forces of severe human rights violations. UN investigations have concluded that the government's abuses are the greatest in gravity, frequency and scale.

Bashar Hafez al-Assad

Bashar Hafez al-Assad was born on 11 September 1965. He is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of

the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He has served as President since 2000, when he succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for 30 years prior to his death. Al-Assad graduated from the medical school of the University of Damascus in 1988, and started to work as a physician in the army. Four years later, he attended postgraduate studies at the Western Eye Hospital, in London, specializing in ophthalmology. In 1994, after his elder brother Bassel, the heir apparent to their father, was killed in a car crash, Bashar was hastily recalled to Syria to take over Bassel's role. He entered the military academy, and took charge of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon in 1998. In December 2000, Assad married Asma Assad, ne Akhras. Al-Assad was elected as President of Syria in 2000 and 2007, unopposed each time.

International Reaction
The conflict in Syria has received significant international attention. The Arab League, European Union, the United Nations, and many Western governments condemned the Syrian government's violent response to the protests, and many expressed support for the protesters' right to exercise free speech. Initially, many Middle Eastern governments expressed support for Assad, but they switched sides as the death toll mounted. Both the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation suspended Syria's membership. In June 2012 UN Action Group on Syria met in Geneva and agreed on a six-point plan that would lead to free elections in Syria, with a transitional government including members of Assad's administration and the opposition. However, the draft resolution, proposed soon after by Russia, was rejected by Western countries as lacking pressure and not demanding that Assad would step down in the first place. Russia and China never agreed with such provision. The US and its NATO allies have pressed for al-Assad's departure. The draft eventually put under vote by UNSC called Assad to stop use of heavy weapons in urban areas and withdraw his forces, or face sanctions. It was vetoed by Russia and China, as having "uneven content intended to put pressure on only one party." Russian officials stated that plans for Syria's political future should not be forced on it from outside and claimed that "terrorists" are present within the opposition's ranks. In December 2012, the Russian deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, claimed Syria's government was "progressively losing control" and that "the victory of the Syrian opposition cannot be excluded", although the Russian Foreign Ministry insisted soon after that the country had not changed its position on Syria and "never will". Iran, a longtime ally of Syria, has consistently expressed support for Assad. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that giving further arms to either side "would not be helpful". On 15 June Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi announced that he was severing diplomatic relations between Syria and Egypt, closing the Egyptian embassy in Damascus and ordering Syria to close its own embassy in Cairo. On 24 June the Syrian foreign minister Walid Al-Moualem said that Syria would attend peace talks, not to transfer power but to form "a broad national unity government". Since May 2013 Russia and United States have been trying to organize second peace conference in Geneva. The exact date is still unknown, but would not happen before August, according to negotiator's claims. The main difference between U.S. and Russian position is whether Assad could be allowed to take part in the transitional government. U.S. and Syrian opposition rule out such option, while Russia presses for talks without preconditions. The military gains made in June by Syrian government forces make real agreement less likely.

U.S.A Intervention
U.S.A is super power of the world. It takes actions only for its interest. In Iraq, U.S.A wanted to capture the oil wells. Therefore it used Saddham Hussain for its interest but when Saddham refused to help then U.S.A settled a agenda against Saddham Hussain and start a civil war there and attacked on Iraq with its troops and with NATO forces. But on other hand, U.S.A did not intent to resolve the issues of Arab World like Palestine issue and other unrest situation issues in Arab World USA had haired a special agent for Syrian conflict and talk with the government officials of Syria.

Conclusion
Non-Muslim world never want that Muslim World make progress therefore they always keep eye on polices and mistakes of Muslim World and then they take benefit from their mistakes. Arab Spring is one the example of that conspiracy. It was one aspect. But on the other hand, Muslims are responsible for their destruction. Muslim leaders are not able to control the power and they have hunger to power. They are selfish and they left the teachings of Islam for rule. They ever repress the rights of common man. Allah has blessed everything to Arab World but Arabians do not respect the blessings. They claimed that they are superior. OIC is league of Islamic Countries and it is responsible for resolving the issues of Islamic World but it has failed to conduct the issues of Islamic World. Arab uprising is good step for promulgate democracy no doubt but it is cause of departure of Islamic World.