Context of conflict:
The Syrian war is a conflict between rebel groups and the state (of debatable legitimacy), characterized by the Assad regime. The war, which the state maintains is the result of rebel terrorism while the rebels argue it is a legitimate uprising, has developed an international dimension due to both US and Russian interests in the region. The Syrian conflict is complicated by regional concerns, such as Iran's interests in an alliance with Assad, the Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Syria's continued antagonism of Israel, combined with their support for the Hezbollah militia.
The war began in 2011-2012, during the Arab Spring, when the Assad regime's military forcibly cracked down on the anti-government street protests. The mass protests eventually escalated into organized opposition parties and militia, further, as the mounting pressures drove high level elites in Assad's regime to defect, the conflict devolved into a civil war (Hinnesbusch 95-113).
Currently after two rounds of talks (Geneva I and Geneva II), the Syrian government and the National Coalition of the Syrian Revolution remain unable to reach an agreement. Factors such as the UN structure that allows the members of the UNSC to veto resolutions, the individual state interests of Russia and the US as well as other regional powers have all contributed to the failure of a settlement. Further, as Doyle and Sambanis note, it is nearly impossible for any peace keeping intervention to force two sides into a settlement when there are issues of cooperation, in which neither side has incentive to cooperate with the other (Doyle and Sambanis 494-518). In Syria, this is characterized by Assad's desire to remain in power and by his belief that this is still a possibility, given Russian and Chinese support through vetoes and arms deals. For the opposition, there is no incentive to cooperate because their aim is diametrically opposed to that of Assad's, in that they want him ejected from power so that they can form their own regime. What's more, the opposition's stance is complicated by the abundance of opposition groups that lack cohesion and unison in their aims and actions. As such, even while one party or group was present at Geneva, not all of the groups were included and thus not all the decisions or non-decisions applied to them or were even discussed with them, leading to further disorganization.
Journalistic Context:
The photo of the rebels was taken by Javier Manzano on October 18th, 2012 in Aleppo, specifically in the district of Karmel Jabl. The men depicted in the image are rebel snipers seeking to hold ground against the State military. The site of Karmel Jabl, along with Al-Arqoop is strategically important for the rebels as it allows them to protect a main road dividing the largest section of rebel controlled territory in Aleppo, from the most contested battle grounds in the area (Manzano).
According to Manzano, the rebels fight mainly through the use of buildings as cover against sniper attacks, which both sides have found to be the most effective way of blocking each other. Manzano states that rebel soldiers often undertake great risk just to destroy one tank, having to be within a "few dozen yards" of a tank to successfully hit the weak part of it's armour with a grenade. Those who fail often die or suffer severe injuries and their comrades honour their loss by continuing to fight (Manzano).
Manzano's photograph has also achieved critical acclaim, garnering the pulitzer prize and the praise of his peers. Max Fisher of the Washington Post who has written several insightful articles on the Syrian conflict called the photo "an immediately iconic photo of Syria’s rebels." (Manzano)
Significance:
The image's significance comes from its depiction of the rebel militia in Syria, the danger they face and the lengths to which they are willing to go in order to oust Assad from power. The image also captures the limits of the opposition, the constraints to their vision, movement and positioning that prevent them from both fully assessing a situation and taking the time to make a measured decision. As the soldiers peer over the barrels of their guns from small peepholes you can't help but wonder how accurately they perceive their enemies or any individual unlucky enough to pass through their territory. Further, the bullet holes in the rebel's shelter speaks for itself: to be a sniper means to face the constant risk of yourself being shot by your enemy, whether you are a state military member or a rebel.
Manzano notes that one of the main constraints of the Free Syrian Army group is weapons and ammunition shortages. In this image, there are two snipers yet only one gun is visible. It is unlikely that a weapons shortage was intended to be the central theme of the image, but that does not lessen the importance of weapons as a factor in the war. Russian support has extended to the Assad regime weapons that the rebels cannot afford (Treisman) and as such more radical islamist groups with more funding have been gaining importance to the opposition above more moderate factions.
Works Cited
Doyle, Michael W. , and Nicholas Sambanis. "The UN Record On Peacekeeping Operations." International Journal. 62.3 (2007):
494-518. Print.
Hinnesbusch, Raymond. "Syria: from ‘authoritarian upgrading’ to revolution?." International Affairs. 88.1 (2012): 95-113. Print.
Manzano, Javier. "Manzano Entry Letter." The Pulitzer Prizes. The Pulitzer Prizes, n.d. Web. 5 Apr 2014.
<http://www.pulitzer.org/files/2013/feature_photography/manzanoentryletter.pdf>.
"Syria Profile." BBC News Middle East 19 Mar 2014, n. pag. Web. 5 Apr. 2014. < http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-
14703856>.
Treisman, Daniel. "Why Russia supports Syria's Assad." UCLA Today. 2014: n. page. Print. <http://today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/PRN-
russia-s-support-for-assad-regime-228392.aspx>.
Image:
Manzano, Javier. "The 2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners." The Pulitzer Prizes. The Pulitzer Prizes, n.d. Web. 5 Apr 2014.
<http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2013-Feature-Photography>.
The Syrian war is a conflict between rebel groups and the state (of debatable legitimacy), characterized by the Assad regime. The war, which the state maintains is the result of rebel terrorism while the rebels argue it is a legitimate uprising, has developed an international dimension due to both US and Russian interests in the region. The Syrian conflict is complicated by regional concerns, such as Iran's interests in an alliance with Assad, the Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Syria's continued antagonism of Israel, combined with their support for the Hezbollah militia.
The war began in 2011-2012, during the Arab Spring, when the Assad regime's military forcibly cracked down on the anti-government street protests. The mass protests eventually escalated into organized opposition parties and militia, further, as the mounting pressures drove high level elites in Assad's regime to defect, the conflict devolved into a civil war (Hinnesbusch 95-113).
Currently after two rounds of talks (Geneva I and Geneva II), the Syrian government and the National Coalition of the Syrian Revolution remain unable to reach an agreement. Factors such as the UN structure that allows the members of the UNSC to veto resolutions, the individual state interests of Russia and the US as well as other regional powers have all contributed to the failure of a settlement. Further, as Doyle and Sambanis note, it is nearly impossible for any peace keeping intervention to force two sides into a settlement when there are issues of cooperation, in which neither side has incentive to cooperate with the other (Doyle and Sambanis 494-518). In Syria, this is characterized by Assad's desire to remain in power and by his belief that this is still a possibility, given Russian and Chinese support through vetoes and arms deals. For the opposition, there is no incentive to cooperate because their aim is diametrically opposed to that of Assad's, in that they want him ejected from power so that they can form their own regime. What's more, the opposition's stance is complicated by the abundance of opposition groups that lack cohesion and unison in their aims and actions. As such, even while one party or group was present at Geneva, not all of the groups were included and thus not all the decisions or non-decisions applied to them or were even discussed with them, leading to further disorganization.
Journalistic Context:
The photo of the rebels was taken by Javier Manzano on October 18th, 2012 in Aleppo, specifically in the district of Karmel Jabl. The men depicted in the image are rebel snipers seeking to hold ground against the State military. The site of Karmel Jabl, along with Al-Arqoop is strategically important for the rebels as it allows them to protect a main road dividing the largest section of rebel controlled territory in Aleppo, from the most contested battle grounds in the area (Manzano).
According to Manzano, the rebels fight mainly through the use of buildings as cover against sniper attacks, which both sides have found to be the most effective way of blocking each other. Manzano states that rebel soldiers often undertake great risk just to destroy one tank, having to be within a "few dozen yards" of a tank to successfully hit the weak part of it's armour with a grenade. Those who fail often die or suffer severe injuries and their comrades honour their loss by continuing to fight (Manzano).
Manzano's photograph has also achieved critical acclaim, garnering the pulitzer prize and the praise of his peers. Max Fisher of the Washington Post who has written several insightful articles on the Syrian conflict called the photo "an immediately iconic photo of Syria’s rebels." (Manzano)
Significance:
The image's significance comes from its depiction of the rebel militia in Syria, the danger they face and the lengths to which they are willing to go in order to oust Assad from power. The image also captures the limits of the opposition, the constraints to their vision, movement and positioning that prevent them from both fully assessing a situation and taking the time to make a measured decision. As the soldiers peer over the barrels of their guns from small peepholes you can't help but wonder how accurately they perceive their enemies or any individual unlucky enough to pass through their territory. Further, the bullet holes in the rebel's shelter speaks for itself: to be a sniper means to face the constant risk of yourself being shot by your enemy, whether you are a state military member or a rebel.
Manzano notes that one of the main constraints of the Free Syrian Army group is weapons and ammunition shortages. In this image, there are two snipers yet only one gun is visible. It is unlikely that a weapons shortage was intended to be the central theme of the image, but that does not lessen the importance of weapons as a factor in the war. Russian support has extended to the Assad regime weapons that the rebels cannot afford (Treisman) and as such more radical islamist groups with more funding have been gaining importance to the opposition above more moderate factions.
Works Cited
Doyle, Michael W. , and Nicholas Sambanis. "The UN Record On Peacekeeping Operations." International Journal. 62.3 (2007):
494-518. Print.
Hinnesbusch, Raymond. "Syria: from ‘authoritarian upgrading’ to revolution?." International Affairs. 88.1 (2012): 95-113. Print.
Manzano, Javier. "Manzano Entry Letter." The Pulitzer Prizes. The Pulitzer Prizes, n.d. Web. 5 Apr 2014.
<http://www.pulitzer.org/files/2013/feature_photography/manzanoentryletter.pdf>.
"Syria Profile." BBC News Middle East 19 Mar 2014, n. pag. Web. 5 Apr. 2014. < http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-
14703856>.
Treisman, Daniel. "Why Russia supports Syria's Assad." UCLA Today. 2014: n. page. Print. <http://today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/PRN-
russia-s-support-for-assad-regime-228392.aspx>.
Image:
Manzano, Javier. "The 2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners." The Pulitzer Prizes. The Pulitzer Prizes, n.d. Web. 5 Apr 2014.
<http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2013-Feature-Photography>.