A conflict of competing interests: stakeholders in Syrian Civil War

Abstract

Nowadays one of the crucial issues that disturbs the peace and security of the Middle East is the Syrian civil war. Despite the fact that the war in Syria is qualified as a civil war, third parties are involved in it. This research attempts to prove that primary reason for the interest in Syria of selected countries, namely the US, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, is power maximization. The thesis studies the issues from the realist approach and applies it to different issues connected with the stakeholders in the Syrian conflict. In order to achieve the goal, the research uses official documents, resolutions, statements made by various officials on the topic, press releases and transcripts of meetings during the negotiations between the parties; also, it covers academic articles and recent (2015-2016) newspaper articles. The research proves that each country by its actions in the long-term was thinking more about the future of its own country and, consequently, its position in the Middle Eastern region. Thus, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are more concerned about Iran becoming a hegemon in the region if Bashar Al-Assad’s regime wins in the end. Whereas two major powers, the U.S. and Russia, are trying to demonstrate their strength to each other and the World.