Syrian Arab Republic (1963–2024)

Syrian Arab Republic ٱلْجُمْهُورِيَّةُ ٱلْعَرَبِيَّةُ ٱلسُّورِيَّةُ
1963–2024
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: وَحْدَةٌ ، حُرِّيَّةٌ ، اِشْتِرَاكِيَّةٌ "Unity, Freedom, Socialism"
Capital and largest city	Damascus
Official languages	Arabic
Leaders
• Last President	Bashar al-Assad
• Prime Minister	Hussein Arnous
• Vice President	Farouk al-Sharaa
• Vice President	Najah al-Attar
• Speaker of the People's Council	Hammouda Sabbagh
History
• Established	1963
• Dissolution	2024
Area
• Total	185,180 km²
Population
• 2023 estimate	22,933,531
Currency	Syrian pound

The Syrian Arab Republic was the Syrian state lasting from the 1963 Ba'athist coup until the fall of the legitimate Assad government to U.S. backed terrorists in 2024.

It was a unitary republic consisting of 14 governorates (subdivisions) and was the last country that politically espoused Ba'athism, with Iraq's pre-intervention government having also been guided by the Ba'ath socialist ideology. It was a member of one international organization other than the United Nations, the anti-imperialist Non-Aligned Movement.

History

In 1963, a Ba'athist coup overthrew the government and established the Arab Republic.^{[citation needed]}

Israeli invasion of Golan Heights

The Syrian territory of the Golan Heights was invaded by Israel in 1967 and annexed in 1981. It is currently occupied by around 25,000 Israeli settlers.

Syrian Civil War

Starting in 2011 as part of the Western-supported Arab Spring, Syria descended into civil war as foreign powers began supporting proxy forces to overthrow the Assad government.

On 21 August 2013, a chemical weapon detonated in Ghouta and was blamed on Bashar al-Assad, justifying NATO air strikes on Syria. The allegations were first made by Prince Bandar bin Sultan, then head of the Saudi Arabian Intelligence Service, who has previously been involved with both the Contras and the Mujahideen. Interviews with people living at the site of the detonation however revealed that Saudi Intelligence, including bin Sultan, had been responsible for providing the chemical weapons to the rebels. Later that year, the rebels explained in an interview that they were not aware they were in possession of chemical weapons and weren't taught how to use them, resulting in the detonation of the Sarin gas by the rebel and Saudi-backed forces.

Saudi Arabia and Prince Bandar trained Reactionary militias and insurgents in Syria's neighbor Jordan but their initiative was swiftly supplemented by the U.S who began to make payments to the anti-Assad forces. In addition to Saudi Arabia; Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey were also responsible for training insurgents and terrorists, with there being a competition between them to establish leadership over the anti-government forces.

The U.S. has supported Islamic jihadists in their Operation Timber Sycamore, not unlike Operation Cyclone in Afghanistan. They have also killed at least 500 Syrian civilians in airstrikes throughout the war, including 30 when a school was bombed, and used chemical weapons such as white phosphorus As of 2021, the military situation is favorable to the Syrian government, which has retaken most territory thanks to the legal assistance of the Russian Air Force as well as assistance from Syria's ally, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

On 3 February 2022, U.S. forces killed 4 women and 6 children during a raid in Idlib province.

The U.S. continues to occupy the resource-rich area of Northern Syria, to control its hydrocarbons and agricultural output and has firebombed hundreds of acres of wheat fields. The goal of the US is to prevent the reconstruction of Syria. U.S. and the U.N. prop up opposition forces via the Bab al-Hawa crossing – the only U.N. approved crossing for transporting international aid into Syria. The aid have been described by The New York Times as “…a lifeline for opposition-held areas in the north.”

The U.S. imperialists were using economic warfare to cripple the Syrian economy. These sanctions might be soon circumvented with Syria's admission into China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Collapse

On 27 November 2024, the Syrian Salvation Government started an offensive towards Damascus and captured Aleppo. Three days later, Hama was captured.

Meanwhile, the Turkish occupation forces as well as the Rojava Government and the US-backed Syrian Free Army also advanced, capturing territories and cities.

On 6 December, a revolt popped up south of Damascus.

On 7 December, Homs was captured.

On the early hours of 8 December, rebel forces entered Damascus and declared the civil war and Assad's rule in Syria as over.

By the end of the day, most of the government remnants were captured, with only few Russian air and naval bases still remaining under government control.^{[citation needed]} Sputnik News announced that Assad and his family had safely arrived in Moscow. This marked the end of the Assad Presidency, and the state was swiftly handed over to the rebel coalition.

Foreign relations

On 29 June 2022, Syria became the second country in the world to recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.

On 7 May 2023, at the meeting of the Council of the Arab League in Cairo, it was agreed to reinstate Syria's membership, after being suspended on 16 November 2011 in the aftermath of the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War.

Sanctions

See also: Economic sanctions#Syria

The Arab Republic suffered from heavy sanctions enforced by the United States and European Union.

During the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, Syria was unable to receive direct aid due to sanctions imposed upon the country. With the only U.N. approved entry into Syria from Turkey – generally used to provide aid to government opposition groups – being destroyed, the three other unapproved crossings remained empty of humanitarian convoys. Despite these adversities Iran was able to supply Syria with 70 tons of food, tents and medicine.