Pittsburgh_Patrika_July_2015

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 20, No. 4, July, 2015
Proxy War
The Syrian Axis Dividing the World
Kris Gopal, South Hills, PA
e-mail: gutcut@comcast.net
proxy war as defined by the Oxford Dictionary is a war instigated
by a major power, which does not itself become involved.
A
Typically proxy wars function best during cold wars, as they become a
necessity in conducting armed conflict between two belligerents while
continuing cold warfare. Proxy wars are those in which the main actors
face conflict through the use of other means—proxies. These proxies
range from aid and arms supplies to full use of troops, not simply the act
of war itself; there are many ways for outside forces to contribute to war
and conflict between entities other than itself. Proxy war is covert and
illegal, yet still frequently used as a strategy today. The earlier conflict
between the regime and the Taliban in Afghanistan (in 1970) and how the
super powers, United States and Russia, were drawn into the conflict is
a classic example of proxy war.
Our history is replete with innumerable proxy wars from time immemorial
— from the Abhyssinian-Adal war in 1529, from the colonial
era to the present second Saudi-Yemen War. The list is too numerous to
mention all.
The present Syrian conflict is a proxy war at best, with the civil
uprising in the country being manipulated by three super powers,
China, Russia and United States of America. Syria is a complicated place
and an important player in Middle Eastern and global relations.
First and foremost, Syria is the third arm of the anti-Israeli and anti-
West, Iran-Hezbollah-Syria alliance, a Shia threesome that opposes the set
of Sunni-led powers in the Middle East. Syria’s population is dominated
by Sunnis, but the Assad family, who are Shias, controls the country.
In addition, Syria buys some $150-million worth of arms from Russia
every year and hosts a Russian naval port on its Mediterranean Sea Coast.
It has been lorded over by the ruthless Assad family for more than 40
years, with democracy a forbidden notion. And it is situated at a continental
crossroads, between the energy riches of Eurasia and the Middle
East and the energy-hungry markets of Europe.
Syrian conflict has triggered something more fundamental than a difference
of opinion. In sixteen months, the situation in Syria has mutated
from an uprising in outlying areas into full-scale civil war. Now it has
Proxy War... ... Continued on Page 18
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