Gandhi Syria and Modern Freedoms Essay

Gandhi Syria and Modern Freedoms Essay Gandhi: Syria and Modern Freedoms Essay Syria in the Midst of a Civil War The Middle East was at one point a rich, cultural hub, filled with many different people from the world trying to catch a glimpse of the wonder. It was similar to what New York city is today. Traders and merchants would roam marketplaces, trying to either sell, buy, or trade merchandise from all over the world. Today, it is much different. The whole entire region is plagued with war, brothers fighting brothers, trying to find their place in this world. Syria’s civil war has become one of the most intense conflicts in the Middle East due to sectarian dispute, government oppression, and a desire for modern freedoms. Syria is a Middle-Eastern country that has been ruled by an oppressive, authoritarian form of government (â€Å"Syria Profile†). The party that controls this government is called the Ba’ath party, and is controlled by the Alawites of the Shia sect of religion (â€Å"Syria Profile†). In order to gain more freedoms and have a voice in the government, the Syrian people are rebelling against this government in hopes of electing a president who is not from the Shia party (â€Å"Syria Profile†). The government does not like the West and is in isolation from them, not wanting any help and wishing that they would leave it alone to govern how it wishes (â€Å"Syria Profile†). However, the United Nations sees the Ba’ath party as non-representing of the Syrian population and recognize the rebellion as the true representation of Syria, encouraging the rebels to succeed in overthrowing their government (â€Å"Syria Profile†). The biggest problem has turned out to be sectarian disputes that keep the war going. One of the biggest factors of the war, the Syrian nation’s religious disputes which stemmed from the beginning of the Islamic religion, continue on today. Following the death of Muhammed, a power struggle between two beliefs caused the Shia and Sunni Sects to be f ormed fights have extended throughout the Middle East, and are especially prominent in Syria (Gelfand 50). Their actions have been destabilizing the whole entire country, as one of the greatest power struggles in the world continues on today. The Shia in Syria take the form of the Ba’ath party, the dominant ruling party of the Syrian government, and fight against the Sunni who take the form of the rebels and the rebellion (Gelfand 50). The rebels want a democratic rule where they are represented, while the regime wishes to keep on going with their authoritarian government (Gelfand 51). Violent protests and military actions support both sides of the war, with the Shia having a militaristic advantage. The Shia-controlled government has been presiding over Syria since 1956, contributing to the ongoing war through their different ideologies. The Alawite party, an elite party within the Shia, holds a base of operations in Damascus, the current capital of Syria (â€Å"Regime vs. R ebels†). The ideology from the conception of the Shia still holds true to the form of government today: the descendants of Ali, the Alawite party, control the government instead of a publicly appointed ruler (â€Å"Regime vs. Rebels†). The Sunni rebels fight against this with the thought that the ruler should be one picked by popular vote so that he can represent the population better. However, the Shia can maintain that control through a strong army and support from Russia and China who provide them with weapons and tanks, and use that to conquer the rebelling Sunni (â€Å"Regime vs. Rebels†). Their main concern is that they believe a country can â€Å"dissent and restore order in their territory† (Regime vs. Rebels†). This ideology has plummeted Syria into chaos, because many, like the rebels, feel that the government should be of the people, and fight for that belief. The Sunni rebels fight against the Sunni every day to start a representative gov ernment, keeping Syria from achieving a stable environment for humans to fully prosper. The Muslim Brotherhood, a section of the Sunnis, first