View source for Place:Syria

{{Short description|Country in West Asia}}
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<!-- NOTICE: please do not be tempted to make the infobox "neutral" even though there's a WP:NPOV. The consensus from the recent RfC at Talk:Syria#RfC: Presentation of the Syrian country infobox was to retain the infobox with Assad's government until there were significant changes. -->
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Syrian Arab Republic
| common_name            = Syria
| native_name            = {{native name|ar|الجمهورية العربية السورية|italics=off}}<br />{{small|{{transliteration|ar|al-Jumhūriyya al-ʿArabiyya as-Sūriya}}}}
| image_flag             = Flag of Syria.svg
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Syria.svg
| coa_size               = 90
| recognized_national_languages = 
| religion_year          = 2023
| national_anthem        = {{lang|ar|حُمَاةَ الدِّيَارِ}}<br />{{transliteration|ar|Ḥumāt ad-Diyār}}<br />"Guardians of the Homeland"{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:National Anthem of Syria.ogg]]}}
| national_motto         = {{lang|ar|وَحْدَةٌ ، حُرِّيَّةٌ ، اِشْتِرَاكِيَّةٌ}}<br />{{transliteration|ar|Waḥda, Ḥurriyya, Ishtirākiyya}}<br />"Unity, Freedom, Socialism"
| image_map              = {{Switcher|[[File:Syria (orthographic projection) disputed.svg|frameless]]<br />Syria proper shown in dark green; Syria's territorial claims over the Turkish Hatay Province and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights shown in light green|Show globe|[[File:Syria - Location Map (2013) - SYR - UNOCHA.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Syria|default=1}}
| capital                = [[Place:Damascus|Damascus]]
| coordinates            = {{Coord|33|30|N|36|18|E|type:city}}
| largest_city           = [[Place:Damascus|Damascus]]
| official_languages     = [[Social:Modern Standard Arabic|Arabic]]<ref name="CoSAR"/>
| ethnic_groups          = 74–75% Arabs<br />9.5–10% Kurds <br />15–16.5% Others (including Turkomans, Assyrians, Circassians, Armenians and others)<ref name="CIA - The World Factbook"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Largest Ethnic Groups In Syria |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/largest-ethnic-groups-in-syria.html |website=WorldAtlas |date=7 June 2018 |access-date=18 August 2022}}</ref>
| religion               = {{Tree list}}
*77% [[Religion:Islam in Syria|Islam]]
**74% Sunni
**3% [[Religion:Shia Islam|Shia]]
*10% Alawite
*10% Christianity
*<3% Druze
{{Tree list/end}}
| government_type        = <!-- NOTICE: Please don't change it to a single-party state, because the 2012 Constitution was approved, which theoretically allows more parties to participate in elections and other events. -->[[Earth:Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Social:Presidential system|presidential]] [[Social:Republic|republic]]<ref>
* {{Cite web |date=13 January 2023 |title=Syrian Arab Republic |url=https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/syria/227502 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325011403/https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/syria/227502 |archive-date=25 March 2023 |quote="System of government: Officially a socialist,... democratic state; presidential system (ruled by the al-Assad family, with the security services occupying a powerful position)" |website=Federal Foreign Office}}
* {{Cite web |title=Syria: Government |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/#government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203054123/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/ |archive-date=3 February 2021 |website=CIA World Factbook}}
* {{Cite web |title=Syria Government |url=https://www.countryreports.org/country/Syria/government.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127053848/https://www.countryreports.org/country/Syria/government.htm |archive-date=27 January 2023}}
* {{Cite web |date=26 February 2021 |title=Syrian Arab Republic: Constitution, 2012 |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/5100f02a2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305071852/https://www.refworld.org/docid/5100f02a2.html |archive-date=5 March 2019 |website=refworld}}</ref> under a [[Philosophy:Totalitarianism|totalitarian]]<ref>
*{{Cite book |last=Khamis, B. Gold, Vaughn |first=Sahar, Paul, Katherine |title=The Oxford Handbook of Propaganda Studies |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-19-976441-9 |editor-last=Auerbach, Castronovo |editor-first=Jonathan, Russ |location=198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 |pages=422 |chapter=22. Propaganda in Egypt and Syria's "Cyberwars": Contexts, Actors, Tools, and Tactics}}
*{{Cite book |last=Wieland |first=Carsten |title=Syria and the Neutrality Trap: The Dilemmas of Delivering Humanitarian Aid Through Violent Regimes |publisher=I. B. Tauris |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-7556-4138-3 |location=50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK |pages=68 |chapter=6: De-neutralizing Aid: All Roads Lead to Damascus}}
*{{Cite book |last=Ahmed |first=Saladdin |title=Totalitarian Space and the Destruction of Aura |publisher=Suny Press |year=2019 |isbn=9781438472911 |location=State University of New York Press, Albany |pages=144, 149}}
*{{Cite book |last=Hensman |first=Rohini |title=Indefensible: Democracy, Counterrevolution, and the Rhetoric of Anti-Imperialism |publisher=Haymarket Books |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-60846-912-3 |location=Chicago, Illinois |chapter=7: The Syrian Uprising}}</ref> hereditary [[Social:Dictatorship|dictatorship]]
| leader_title1          = President
| leader_name1           = Bashar al-Assad
| leader_title2          = Vice President
| leader_name2           = Najah al-Attar
| leader_title3          = Prime Minister
| leader_name3           = Hussein Arnous
| leader_title4          = Speaker of the People's Assembly
| leader_name4           = Hammouda Sabbagh
| legislature            = People's Assembly
| established_event1     = [[History:Arab Kingdom of Syria|Arab Kingdom of Syria]]
| established_date1      = 8 March 1920
| established_event2     = State of Syria under French mandate
| established_date2      = 1 December 1924
| established_event3     = Syrian Republic
| established_date3      = 14 May 1930
| established_event4     = ''De jure'' independence
| established_date4      = 24 October 1945
| established_event5     = ''De facto'' independence
| established_date5      = 17 April 1946
| established_event6     = Left the [[Place:United Arab Republic|United Arab Republic]]
| established_date6      = {{nowrap|28 September 1961}}
| established_event7     = {{nowrap|Ba'ath Party takes power}}
| established_date7      = 8 March 1963
| established_event8     = Current constitution
| established_date8      = 27 February 2012
| area_km2               = 185180<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mofa.gov.sy/cweb/MOEX_NEW/syria/Overview.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511155611/http://mofa.gov.sy/cweb/MOEX_NEW/syria/Overview.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-05-11|title= Syrian ministry of foreign affairs}}</ref>
| area_rank              = 87th <!-- Area rank should match List of countries and dependencies by area-->
| area_sq_mi             = 71479 <!-- Do not remove per WP:MOSNUM -->
| percent_water          = 1.1
| population_estimate    = 22,933,531<ref>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Syria|access-date=22 June 2023|year=2023}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2023
| population_estimate_rank = 58th
| population_density_km2 = 118.3
| population_density_sq_mi = 306.5 <!--Do not remove per WP:MOSNUM-->
| population_density_rank = 70th
| GDP_PPP                = {{nowrap|$50.28 billion<ref name=CIA>{{cite web | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/#people-and-society | title=Syria | work=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency | access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref><!--end nowrap:-->}}
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2015
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = $2,900<ref name="CIA" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 
| GDP_nominal            = {{nowrap|$11.08 billion<ref name="CIA" />}}
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2020
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = $533
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 
| Gini                   = 55.8 <!-- number only -->
| Gini_year              = 2014
| Gini_change            = <! --increase/decrease/steady -->
| Gini_ref               = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI/ |title=World Bank GINI index |publisher= World Bank |access-date=22 January 2013}}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = 0.577 <!--number only-->
| HDI_year               = 2021<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year -->
| HDI_change             = steady <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="HDI">{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2021/2022|language=en|publisher=[[Organization:United Nations Development Programme|United Nations Development Programme]]|date=8 September 2022|access-date=8 September 2022}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 150th
| currency               = Syrian pound
| currency_code          = SYP
| time_zone              = Arabia Standard Time
| utc_offset             = +3
| utc_offset_DST         = 
| time_zone_DST          = 
| date_format            = dd/mm/yyyy ([[Religion:Anno Domini|AD]])
| drives_on              = right
| calling_code           = +963
| iso3166code            = SY
| cctld                  = .sy<br />سوريا.
| religion_ref           = <ref name="CIA - The World Factbook">{{cite web |title=Syria: People and society |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/#people-and-society |website=The World Factbook |date=10 May 2022 |publisher=CIA}}</ref>
| demonym                = Syrian
| today                  = 
| ethnic_groups_ref      = <ref name="CIA - The World Factbook"/>
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2023
}}

'''Syria''',{{Efn|{{lang-ar|سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة|translit=Sūriyā}}}} officially the '''Syrian Arab Republic''',{{Efn|{{lang-ar|الجمهورية العربية السورية|al-Jumhūriyya al-ʿArabiyya as-Sūriya}}}} is a country in [[Place:West Asia|West Asia]] located in the [[Place:Eastern Mediterranean|Eastern Mediterranean]] and the [[Place:Levant|Levant]]. It is bounded by the [[Place:Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean Sea]] to the west, [[Place:Turkey|Turkey]] to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and [[Place:Israel|Israel]] and [[Place:Lebanon|Lebanon]] to the southwest. [[Place:Cyprus|Cyprus]] lies to the west across the Mediterranean Sea. It is a [[Earth:Unitary state|unitary]] [[Social:Republic|republic]] that consists of 14 governorates (subdivisions). A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including the majority Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Circassians, Armenians, Albanians, Greeks, and Chechens. Religious groups include [[Religion:Muslims|Muslims]], Christians, Alawites, [[Philosophy:Druze#In Syria|Druze]], and [[Unsolved:Yazidis|Yazidis]]. The capital and largest city is [[Place:Damascus|Damascus]], followed by Aleppo, Homs, Latakia, Hama, Deirezor, and [[Place:Raqqa|Raqqa]]. Arabs are the largest ethnic group, and Sunni Muslims are the largest religious group. Syria is now the only country that is governed by Ba'athists, who advocate [[Social:Arab socialism|Arab socialism]] and Arab nationalism.

The name "Syria" historically referred to a [[Place:Syria (region)|wider region]], broadly synonymous with the Levant, and known in Arabic as ''al-Sham''. The modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the [[History:Ebla|Ebla]]n civilization of the 3rd millennium [[History:Before Christ|BC]]. In the [[Religion:Islam|Islam]]ic era, Damascus was the seat of the [[Place:Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad Caliphate]] and a provincial capital of the [[Place:Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluk Sultanate]] in [[Place:Lower Egypt|Egypt]]. The modern Syrian state was established in the mid-20th century after centuries of Ottoman rule. After a period as a French mandate (1923–1946), the newly created state represented the largest Arab state to emerge from the formerly [[Place:Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]-ruled Syrian provinces. It gained ''de jure'' independence as a [[Social:Democracy|democratic]] [[Social:Parliamentary republic|parliamentary republic]] on 24 October 1945 when the Republic of Syria became a founding member of the United Nations, an act which legally ended the former French mandate (although French troops did not leave the country until April 1946).

The post-independence period was tumultuous, with multiple military coups and coup attempts shaking the country between 1949 and 1971. In 1958, Syria entered a brief union with Egypt called the [[Place:United Arab Republic|United Arab Republic]], which was terminated by the 1961 Syrian coup d'état. The republic was renamed as the Arab Republic of Syria in late 1961 after the December 1 constitutional referendum of that year. A significant event was the 1963 coup d'état carried out by the military committee of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party which established a [[Social:One-party state|one-party state]]. It ran Syria under emergency law from 1963 to 2011, effectively suspending constitutional protections for citizens. Internal power-struggles within [[Social:Ba'athism|Ba'athist]] factions caused further coups in 1966 and 1970, which eventually resulted in the seizure of power by General Hafiz al-Assad. Assad assigned Alawite loyalists to key posts in the armed forces, [[Organization:Bureaucracy|bureaucracy]], ''Mukhabarat'' and the ruling elite; effectively establishing an "Alawi minority rule" to consolidate power within his family.

After the death of Hafiz al-Assad in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad inherited the presidency and political system centered around a cult of personality to the al-Assad family. The Ba'ath regime is a [[Philosophy:Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] [[Social:Dictatorship|dictatorship]] that has been internationally condemned for its [[Social:Political repression|political repression]] alongside its numerous human rights abuses, including [[Social:Capital punishment in Syria|summary executions]], massive censorship, [[Social:Enforced disappearance|forced disappearances]], mass-murders, barrel-bombings, [[Social:Chemical warfare|chemical attacks]] and other [[Social:War crime|war-crimes]]. Following its violent suppression of the [[Social:Arab Spring|Arab Spring]] protests of the 2011 Syrian Revolution, the Syrian government was suspended from the Arab League in November 2011 for over 11 years, until its reinstatement in 2023. Since July 2011, Syria has been embroiled in a multi-sided civil war, with involvement of different countries. [[Organization:Organisation of Islamic Cooperation|Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]] suspended Syria in August 2012 citing "deep concern at the massacres and inhuman acts" perpetrated by forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad.{{Efn|Sources:
* <ref name="CNN OIC">{{cite news |date=14 August 2012 |title=Regional group votes to suspend Syria; rebels claim downing of jet |publisher=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/13/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 |access-date=14 August 2012}}</ref>
* {{Cite news |last=Alsharif |first=Asma |date=16 August 2012 |title=Organization of Islamic Cooperation suspends Syria |work={{wipe|Reuters}} |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-islamic-summit-idUSBRE87E19F20120816 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922013349/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-islamic-summit-idUSBRE87E19F20120816 |archive-date=22 September 2022}}
* {{Cite news |date=16 August 2012 |title=Islamic bloc suspends Syria membership over crisis |work=DW News |url=https://amp.dw.com/en/islamic-bloc-suspends-syria-membership-over-crisis/a-16169355 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627112504/http://www.dw.com/en/islamic-bloc-suspends-syria-membership-over-crisis/a-16169355 |archive-date=27 June 2018}}
* {{Cite news |date=16 August 2012 |title=Organisation of Islamic Cooperation suspends Syria |work=Ahram Online |url=https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/50565/World/Region/Organisation-of-Islamic-Cooperation-suspends-Syria.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701041619/https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/50565/World/Region/Organisation-of-Islamic-Cooperation-suspends-Syria.aspx |archive-date=1 July 2018}}
* {{Cite news |date=16 August 2012 |title=OIC Suspends Syria Over Crackdown |work=RFE/RL |url=https://www.rferl.org/amp/oic-suspends-syria/24678392.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208075035/https://www.rferl.org/amp/oic-suspends-syria/24678392.html |archive-date=8 February 2023}}}} As of 2020, three political entities – the Syrian Interim Government, Syrian Salvation Government, and [[Place:Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria|Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria]] – have emerged in Syrian territory to challenge Assad's rule.

Syria is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Arab League. Being ranked third last on the 2022 Global Peace Index and 5th highest in the 2023 Fragile States Index,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fragilestatesindex.org/country-data/|department=Global Peace Index|website=Fragile States Index|language=en-us|title=Country Dashboard|access-date=3 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://visionofhumanity.org/indexes/global-peace-index/|title=Global Peace Index|publisher=Vision of Humanity|language=en-us|access-date=2019-10-14}}</ref> Syria is one of the most violent countries in the world. The country is amongst the most dangerous places for [[Engineering:Journalist|journalism]] and is ranked 6th worst in 2023 World Press Freedom Index.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Syria |url=https://rsf.org/en/country/syria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508225036/https://rsf.org/en/country/syria |archive-date=8 May 2023 |access-date= |website=Reporters Without Borders}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=4 May 2023 |title=Iran, Syria rank lowest for press freedom globally |work=Middle East Monitor |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230504-iran-syria-rank-lowest-for-press-freedom-globally/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504105941/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230504-iran-syria-rank-lowest-for-press-freedom-globally/ |archive-date=4 May 2023}}</ref> Syria is the most corrupt country in the [[Finance:MENA|MENA]] region and was ranked the second lowest globally on the 2022 [[Social:Corruption Perceptions Index|Corruption Perceptions Index]].{{Efn| Sources:
* * {{Cite web |date=2022 |title= Corruption Perceptions Index – 2022|url=https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204001659/https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022 |archive-date=4 February 2023 |website=Transparency International}}
* {{Cite news |date=31 January 2023 |title=Middle East corruption rankings: Syria most corrupt, UAE least, Turkey slipped |work=Al-Monitor |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/01/middle-east-corruption-rankings-syria-most-corrupt-uae-least-turkey-slipped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203201215/https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/01/middle-east-corruption-rankings-syria-most-corrupt-uae-least-turkey-slipped |archive-date=3 February 2023}}
* {{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Corruption in Syria |url=https://www.worlddata.info/asia/syria/corruption.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114115146/https://www.worlddata.info/asia/syria/corruption.php |archive-date=14 November 2022 |website=Worlddata.info}}
* {{Cite news |date=31 January 2023 |title=Syria, Yemen and Libya among 'lowest in the world' for corruption perceptions |work=The New Arab |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/syria-yemen-and-libya-rank-among-lowest-corruption-index?amp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208070207/https://www.newarab.com/news/syria-yemen-and-libya-rank-among-lowest-corruption-index?amp |archive-date=8 February 2023}}}}  The country has also become the epicentre of a state-sponsored multi-billion dollar [[Finance:Illegal drug trade|illicit drug cartel]], the largest in the world. The Syrian civil war has killed more than 570,000 people, with pro-Assad forces causing more than 90% of the total civilian casualties.{{efn|Sources:<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 June 2022 |title=Assad, Iran, Russia committed 91% of civilian killings in Syria |work=Middle East Monitor |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220620-assad-iran-russia-committed-91-of-civilian-killings-in-syria/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104153837/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220620-assad-iran-russia-committed-91-of-civilian-killings-in-syria/ |archive-date=4 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 2022 |title=Civilian Death Toll |url=https://snhr.org/blog/2021/06/14/civilian-death-toll/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305114908/https://snhr.org/blog/2021/06/14/civilian-death-toll/ |archive-date=5 March 2022 |website=SNHR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 June 2022 |title=91 percent of civilian deaths caused by Syrian regime and Russian forces: rights group |work=The New Arab |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/syria-regime-and-russia-caused-91-deaths-report |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105112752/https://www.newarab.com/news/syria-regime-and-russia-caused-91-deaths-report |archive-date=5 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Syria |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/syria/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702114009/https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/syria/ |archive-date=2 July 2022 |website=U.S Department of State}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 January 2015 |title=In Syria's Civilian Death Toll, The Islamic State Group, Or ISIS, Is A Far Smaller Threat Than Bashar Assad |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/9311/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406183001/https://www.syriahr.com/en/9311/ |archive-date=6 April 2022 |website=SOHR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 March 2021 |title=Assad's War on the Syrian People Continues |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/208389/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313163249/https://www.syriahr.com/en/208389/ |archive-date=13 March 2021 |website=SOHR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Kenneth |date=9 January 2017 |title=Barack Obama's Shaky Legacy on Human Rights |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/01/09/barack-obamas-shaky-legacy-human-rights |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202082511/https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/01/09/barack-obamas-shaky-legacy-human-rights |archive-date=2 February 2021 |website=Human Rights Watch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Regional War in Syria: Summary of Caabu event with Christopher Phillips |url=https://www.caabu.org/news/news/regional-war-syria-summary-caabu-event-christopher-phillips |website=Council for Arab-British Understanding}}</ref>}} The war led to the Syrian refugee crisis, with an estimated 7.6 million [[Social:Forced displacement|internally displaced people]] (July 2015 UNHCR figure) and over 5 million refugees (July 2017 registered by UNHCR),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php|title=UNHCR Syria Regional Refugee Response|publisher=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) |access-date=9 August 2013|archive-date=19 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219072255/http://www.data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> making population assessment difficult in recent years. The war has also worsened economic conditions, with more than 90% of the population living in poverty and 80% facing food insecurity.{{Efn|<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 October 2022 |title=Syria: Unprecedented rise in poverty rate, significant shortfall in humanitarian aid funding |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syria-unprecedented-rise-poverty-rate-significant-shortfall-humanitarian-aid-funding-enar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102114516/https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syria-unprecedented-rise-poverty-rate-significant-shortfall-humanitarian-aid-funding-enar |archive-date=2 November 2022 |website=Reliefweb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Every Day Counts: Children of Syria cannot wait any longer |url=https://www.unicef.org/syria/every-day-counts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713133947/https://www.unicef.org/syria/every-day-counts |archive-date=13 July 2022 |website=unicef}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 March 2022 |title=Hunger, poverty and rising prices: How one family in Syria bears the burden of 11 years of conflict |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/hunger-poverty-and-rising-prices-how-one-family-syria-bears-burden-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316060615/https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/hunger-poverty-and-rising-prices-how-one-family-syria-bears-burden-11 |archive-date=16 March 2022 |website=reliefweb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=14 January 2022 |title=UN Chief says 90% of Syrians live below poverty line |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220114-un-chief-says-90-of-syrians-live-below-poverty-line/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203030404/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220114-un-chief-says-90-of-syrians-live-below-poverty-line/ |archive-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>}}<!-- Do NOT add citations to the lead, except for material likely to be challenged, per MOS:LEADCITE (Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section#Citations). Move unneeded citations to the body. -->

== Etymology ==<!--linked-->

Several sources indicate that the name ''Syria'' is derived from the 8th century BC Luwian term "Sura/i", and the derivative [[Social:Ancient Greek|ancient Greek]] name: {{lang|el|Σύριοι}}, ''{{transliteration|grc|Sýrioi}}'', or {{lang|el|Σύροι}}, ''{{transliteration|grc|Sýroi}}'', both of which originally derived from Aššūr ([[Place:Assyria|Assyria]]) in northern [[Place:Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]] (present-day Iraq).<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Rollinger | first1 = Robert | year = 2006 | title = The terms "Assyria" and "Syria" again | journal = Journal of Near Eastern Studies | volume = 65 | issue = 4| pages = 284–287 | doi = 10.1086/511103 | s2cid = 162760021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Frye | first1 = R. N. | year = 1992 | title = Assyria and Syria: Synonyms | journal = Journal of Near Eastern Studies | volume = 51 | issue = 4| pages = 281–285 | doi = 10.1086/373570 | s2cid = 161323237 }}</ref> However, from the [[Place:Seleucid Empire|Seleucid Empire]] (323–150 BC), this term was also applied to the [[Place:Levant|Levant]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Adam |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Nestorian_Monument:_An_Ancient_Record_of_Christianity_in_China/Translation_of_the_Nestorian_Inscription |title=Stele to the Propagation in China of the Jingjiao of Daqin |year=781 |translator-last=Wylie |translator-first=Alexander |chapter=Translation of the Nestorian Inscription}}</ref> and from this point the Greeks applied the term without distinction between the Assyrians of Mesopotamia and Arameans of the Levant.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Herodotus |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/History_of_Herodotus/Book_7 |title=The History of Herodotus (Rawlinson)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=John |last=Joseph |title=Assyria and Syria: Synonyms?|url=http://www.jaas.org/edocs/v11n2/JohnJoseph.pdf |year=2008}}</ref> Mainstream modern academic opinion strongly favors the argument that the Greek word is related to the cognate {{lang|el|Ἀσσυρία}}, ''{{transliteration|grc|[[Place:Assyria|Assyria]]}}'', ultimately derived from the [[Social:Akkadian language|Akkadian]] ''{{transliteration|akk|[[History:Assur|Aššur]]}}''.<ref>First proposed by [[Religion:Theodor Nöldeke|Theodor Nöldeke]] in 1881; cf. {{cite web |last=Harper |first=Douglas |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Syria |title=Syria |work=Online Etymology Dictionary |date=November 2001 |access-date=13 June 2007}}</ref> The Greek name appears to correspond to [[Social:Phoenician language|Phoenician]]  ''{{lang|phn|ʾšr}}'' "Assur", ''{{lang|phn|ʾšrym}}'' "Assyrians", recorded in the 8th century BC [[Social:Çineköy inscription|Çineköy inscription]].<ref name="Rollinger">{{Cite journal |last=Rollinger |first=Robert |date=2006-10-01 |title=The Terms "Assyria" and "Syria" Again |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/511103 |journal=Journal of Near Eastern Studies |volume=65 |issue=4 |pages=283–287 |doi=10.1086/511103 |s2cid=162760021 |issn=0022-2968}}</ref>

The area designated by the word has changed over time. Classically, Syria lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, between Arabia to the south and [[Earth:Asia Minor|Asia Minor]] to the north, stretching inland to include parts of Iraq, and having an uncertain border to the northeast that Pliny the Elder describes as including, from west to east, Commagene, Sophene, and [[History:Adiabene|Adiabene]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Pliny |chapter-url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/L/Roman/Texts/Pliny_the_Elder/5*.html |title=Natural History |chapter=Book 5 Section 66 |publisher=University of Chicago|others=77AD |date=March 1998 |isbn=978-84-249-1901-6}}</ref>

By Pliny's time, however, this larger Syria had been divided into a number of provinces under the Roman Empire (but politically independent from each other): Judaea, later renamed Palaestina in AD 135 (the region corresponding to modern-day Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and Jordan) in the extreme southwest; Phoenice (established in AD 194) corresponding to modern Lebanon, Damascus and Homs regions; [[Place:Coele-Syria|Coele-Syria]] (or "Hollow Syria") and south of the Eleutheris river.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/578856/Syria/29905/Roman-provincial-organization#default |title=Syria :: Roman provincial organization|encyclopedia=Britannica Online Encyclopedia |access-date=25 October 2008}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Ancient antiquity ===
[[File:FemaleFigurineSyria5000BCE.jpg|thumb|upright|Female figurine, 5000 BC. Ancient Orient Museum.]]
Since approximately 10,000 BC, Syria was one of the centers of [[History:Neolithic|Neolithic]] culture (known as Pre-Pottery Neolithic A), where agriculture and cattle breeding first began to appear. The Neolithic period (PPNB) is represented by rectangular houses of Mureybet culture. At the time of the pre-pottery Neolithic, people used containers made of stone, gyps and burnt lime (Vaisselle blanche). The discovery of [[Chemistry:Obsidian|obsidian]] tools from [[Earth:Anatolia|Anatolia]] are evidence of early trade. The ancient cities of Hamoukar and Emar played an important role during the late Neolithic and Bronze Age. Archaeologists have demonstrated that [[Social:Civilization|civilization]] in Syria was one of the most ancient on earth, perhaps preceded by only that of [[Place:Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]].

The earliest recorded indigenous civilization in the region was the Kingdom of [[History:Ebla|Ebla]]<ref>Pettinato, Giovanni. The Archives of Ebla; Gelb, I. J. "Thoughts about Ibla: A Preliminary Evaluation" in Monographic Journals of the Near East, Syro-Mesopotamian Studies 1/1 (May 1977) pp. 3–30.</ref> near present-day Idlib, northern Syria. Ebla appears to have been founded around 3500 BC,<ref>{{cite book|author=William J. Hamblin|title=Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC: Holy Warriors at the Dawn of History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=biyDDd0uKGMC&pg=PT239|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-52062-6|page=239}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Ian Shaw|author2=Robert Jameson|title=A Dictionary of Archaeology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8HKDtlPuM2oC&pg=PA211|year=2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-75196-1|page=211}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Ross Burns|title=Monuments of Syria: A Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z_IBAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA155|year=2009|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-0-85771-489-3|page=155}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AaZg0ypYrnQC&pg=PA35|title= Ebla and its Landscape: Early State Formation in the Ancient Near East|author1=Paolo Matthiae |author2=Nicoló Marchetti |page= 35|publisher=Left Coast Press|isbn=978-1-61132-228-6|date= 31 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Victor Harold Matthews|author2=Don C. Benjamin|title=Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4sjpB5HlT-YC&pg=PA241|year=1997|publisher=Paulist Press|isbn=978-0-8091-3731-2|page=241|author1-link=Victor Harold Matthews}}</ref> and gradually built its fortune through trade with the Mesopotamian states of Sumer, [[Place:Assyria|Assyria]], and Akkad, as well as with the Hurrian and Hattian peoples to the northwest, in [[Earth:Asia Minor|Asia Minor]].<ref name="LibraryofCongress">{{Cite web |title=About the Ancient Area of Greater Syria |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/ancient-area-of-greater-syria-121182 |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref> Gifts from [[Social:Pharaoh|Pharaoh]]s, found during excavations, confirm Ebla's contact with Egypt.

[[File:Ishqi-Mari (dark background).jpg|thumb|upright|left|Ishqi-Mari, king of the Second Kingdom of Mari, circa 2300 BC.]]
One of the earliest written texts from Syria is a trading agreement between Vizier Ibrium of Ebla and an ambiguous kingdom called [[Place:Abarsal|Abarsal]] c. 2300 BC.<ref>{{cite book|author=Kenneth Anderson Kitchen|title=On the Reliability of the Old Testament|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kw6U05qBiXcC|year=2003|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-4960-1|page=285}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Stephen C. Neff|title=Justice among Nations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u5DzAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA14|year=2014|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-72654-3|page=14}}</ref> Scholars believe the [[Social:Eblaite language|language of Ebla]] to be among the oldest known written Semitic languages after [[Social:Akkadian language|Akkadian]]. Recent classifications of the Eblaite language have shown that it was an East Semitic language, closely related to the [[Social:Akkadian language|Akkadian language]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Aramaic Language and Its Classification |journal=Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies |volume=14 |issue=1 |url=http://www.jaas.org/edocs/v14n1/e8.pdf |access-date=17 February 2008 |archive-date=9 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909222746/http://www.jaas.org/edocs/v14n1/e8.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ebla was weakened by a long war with [[History:Mari, Syria|Mari]], and the whole of Syria became part of the Mesopotamian Akkadian Empire after Sargon of Akkad and his grandson Naram-Sin's conquests ended Eblan domination over Syria in the first half of the 23rd century BC.<ref>{{cite book|author=Trevor Bryce|title=Ancient Syria: A Three Thousand Year History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q8Z7AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA16|year=2014|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-100292-2|page=16}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rwals-oh6kC&pg=PA68|year=1990|title=Eblaitica: Essays on the Ebla Archives and Eblaite Language, Volume 4|author1=Cyrus Herzl Gordon |author2=Gary Rendsburg |author3=Nathan H. Winter |page= 68|publisher=Eisenbrauns |isbn=978-1-57506-060-6}}</ref>

By the 21st century BC, Hurrians settled the northern east parts of Syria while the rest of the region was dominated by the Amorites. Syria was called the Land of the Amurru (Amorites) by their Assyro-Babylonian neighbors. The Northwest Semitic language of the [[Social:Amorite language|Amorites]] is the earliest attested of the Canaanite languages. [[History:Mari, Syria|Mari]] reemerged during this period, and saw renewed prosperity until conquered by Hammurabi of Babylon. Ugarit also arose during this time, circa 1800 BC, close to modern Latakia. Ugaritic was a Semitic language loosely related to the Canaanite languages, and developed the [[Social:Ugaritic alphabet|Ugaritic alphabet]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0_KnI588AnkC&pg=PA22|title=The Early Alphabet|author=John F. Healey|page=22|year=1990|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-07309-8}}</ref> considered to be the world's earliest known alphabet. The Ugaritic kingdom survived until its destruction at the hands of the marauding Indo-European Sea Peoples in the 12th century BC in what was known as the Late Bronze Age Collapse which saw similar kingdoms and states witness the same destruction at the hand of the Sea Peoples.

Aleppo and the capital city Damascus are among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Neolithic Tell Ramad in the Damascus Basin of Syria |url=http://ancientneareast.tripod.com/Ramad.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111111827/http://ancientneareast.tripod.com/Ramad.html |archive-date=11 November 2006 |access-date=25 January 2013 |publisher=Archive}}</ref> [[History:Yamhad|Yamhad]] (modern Aleppo) dominated northern Syria for two centuries,<ref name="google44">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_oTh51M5XF4C&pg=PA44|title= Mari and Karana: Two Old Babylonian Cities|author= Stephanie Dalley| page=44|isbn= 978-1-931956-02-4|year= 2002|publisher= Gorgias Press}}</ref> although Eastern Syria was occupied in the 19th and 18th centuries BC by the Old Assyrian Empire ruled by the Amorite Dynasty of Shamshi-Adad I, and by the Babylonian Empire which was founded by Amorites. Yamhad was described in the tablets of Mari as the mightiest state in the near east and as having more vassals than Hammurabi of Babylon.<ref name="google44" /> Yamhad imposed its authority over Alalakh,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HmTOoQmf23AC&pg=PA285|year=2005|title= Canaan in the Second Millennium B.C.E.|author= Nadav Naʼaman| page=285|publisher=Eisenbrauns|isbn=978-1-57506-113-9}}</ref> [[History:Qatna|Qatna]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FF5-7JVj4jYC&pg=PA32|date=1973|title= The Cambridge Ancient History|author= Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards|page=32|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-08230-3}}</ref> the Hurrians states and the Euphrates Valley down to the borders with Babylon.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=biyDDd0uKGMC&pg=PT254|year=2006|title= Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC|author= William J. Hamblin|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-52062-6|page=259}}</ref> The army of Yamhad campaigned as far away as [[History:Der (Sumer)|Dēr]] on the border of [[Place:Elam|Elam]] (modern Iran).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J8GgNzv1LfsC&pg=PA2|title= The Military Establishments at Mari|author= Jack M. Sasson|page=2+3|year= 1969}}</ref> Yamhad was conquered and destroyed, along with Ebla, by the [[History:Proto-Indo-Europeans|Indo-European]] [[History:Hittites|Hittites]] from [[Earth:Asia Minor|Asia Minor]] circa 1600 BC.<ref>Relations between God and Man in the Hurro-Hittite Song of Release, Mary R. Bachvarova, ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'', Jan–Mar SAAD 2005</ref>

From this time, Syria became a battle ground for various foreign empires, these being the Hittite Empire, Mitanni Empire, Egyptian Empire, [[History:Middle Assyrian Empire|Middle Assyrian Empire]], and to a lesser degree [[History:Babylonia|Babylonia]]. The Egyptians initially occupied much of the south, while the Hittites, and the Mitanni, much of the north. However, Assyria eventually gained the upper hand, destroying the Mitanni Empire and annexing huge swathes of territory previously held by the Hittites and Babylon.

{{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=400|caption_align=center
| align    = right
| direction =vertical
| image1   = Syrians bringing presents in the tomb of Rekhmire (actual).jpg
| image2   = Syrians bringing presents in the tomb of Rekhmire.jpg
| footer=Syrians bringing presents to Pharaoh Tuthmosis III, as depicted in the tomb of Rekhmire, circa 1450 BCE (actual painting and interpretational drawing). They are labeled "Chiefs of Retjenu".<ref>"The foreigners of the fourth register, with long hairstyles and calf-length fringed robes, are labeled Chiefs of Retjenu, the ancient name tor the Syrian region. Like the Nubians, they come with animals, in this case horses, an elephant, and a bear; they also offer weapons and vessels most likely filled with precious substance." in {{cite book |last1=Hawass |first1=Zahi A. |last2=Vannini |first2=Sandro |title=The lost tombs of Thebes: life in paradise |date=2009 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |page=120 |isbn=9780500051597 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YjZZAAAAYAAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Zakrzewski |first1=Sonia |last2=Shortland |first2=Andrew |last3=Rowland |first3=Joanne |title=Science in the Study of Ancient Egypt |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-39195-1 |page=268 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w6pACwAAQBAJ&pg=PA268 |language=en}}</ref>
}}
Around the 14th century BC, various Semitic peoples appeared in the area, such as the semi-nomadic [[History:Suteans|Suteans]] who came into an unsuccessful conflict with [[History:Babylonia|Babylonia]] to the east, and the [[Social:West Semitic languages|West Semitic]] speaking Arameans who subsumed the earlier Amorites. They too were subjugated by Assyria and the Hittites for centuries. The Egyptians fought the Hittites for control over western Syria; the fighting reached its zenith in 1274 BC with the Battle of Kadesh.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WOxnM3WJYJgC&pg=PA475|title= The Philosophy of Historiography|author= John Lange|year=2006|publisher=Open Road Integrated Media, Incorporated|isbn=978-1-61756-132-0|page=475}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EClaAtUb2TAC&pg=PA23|title= Ramses II and His Time|author=Immanuel Velikovsky|page= 23|isbn= 978-1-906833-74-9|year= 2010|publisher= Paradigma}}</ref> The west remained part of the Hittite empire until its destruction c. 1200 BC,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1A0OgvXfHlQC&pg=PA24|title= Ugarit in Retrospect|author=Douglas Frayne|page= 23,24,25|isbn= 978-0-931464-07-2|year= 1981|publisher= Eisenbrauns}}</ref> while eastern Syria largely became part of the Middle Assyrian Empire,<ref>Georges Roux, Ancient Iraq, 3rd ed., Penguin Books, London, 1991, p.381</ref> who also annexed much of the west during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser I 1114–1076 BC.

With the destruction of the Hittites and the decline of Assyria in the late 11th century BC, the Aramean tribes gained control of much of the interior, founding states such as Bit Bahiani, [[History:Aram-Damascus|Aram-Damascus]], Hamath, Aram-Rehob, [[Place:Aram-Naharaim|Aram-Naharaim]], and Luhuti. From this point, the region became known as Aramea or Aram. There was also a synthesis between the Semitic Arameans and the remnants of the Indo-European [[History:Hittites|Hittites]], with the founding of a number of Syro-Hittite states centered in north central Aram (Syria) and south central Asia Minor (modern Turkey), including [[History:Palistin|Palistin]], Carchemish and Sam'al.

[[File:Amrit01.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.15|Amrit Phoenician Temple]]
A Canaanite group known as the Phoenicians came to dominate the coasts of Syria, (and also Lebanon and northern [[Place:Palestine (region)|Palestine]]) from the 13th century BC, founding city states such as Amrit, Simyra, [[Place:Arwad|Arwad]], Paltos, Ramitha and Shuksi. From these coastal regions, they eventually spread their influence throughout the Mediterranean, including building colonies in Malta, Sicily, the Iberian peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal), and the coasts of North Africa and most significantly, founding the major city state of Carthage (in modern Tunisia) in the 9th century BC, which was much later to become the center of a major empire, rivaling the Roman Republic.

Syria and the Western half of [[Place:Near East|Near East]] then fell to the vast Neo Assyrian Empire (911 BC – 605 BC). The Assyrians introduced [[Social:Imperial Aramaic|Imperial Aramaic]] as the lingua franca of their empire. This language was to remain dominant in Syria and the entire [[Place:Near East|Near East]] until after the Arab Islamic conquest in the 7th and 8th centuries AD, and was to be a vehicle for the spread of Christianity. The Assyrians named their colonies of Syria and Lebanon Eber-Nari. Assyrian domination ended after the Assyrians greatly weakened themselves in a series of brutal internal civil wars, followed by attacks from: the Medes, Babylonians, [[History:Chaldea|Chaldea]]ns, Persians, [[History:Scythians|Scythians]] and [[Social:Cimmerians|Cimmerians]]. During the fall of Assyria, the [[History:Scythians|Scythians]] ravaged and plundered much of Syria. The last stand of the Assyrian army was at Carchemish in northern Syria in 605 BC.

The Assyrian Empire was followed by the Neo-Babylonian Empire (605 BC – 539 BC).  During this period, Syria became a battle ground between Babylonia and another former Assyrian colony, that of [[Place:Egypt|Egypt]]. The Babylonians, like their Assyrian relations, were victorious over Egypt.

=== Classical antiquity ===
[[File:Palmyra 03.jpg|thumb|left|Ancient city of Palmyra before the war]]
[[File:Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II.png|thumb|234x234px|Neo-Babylonian Empire at its greatest territorial extent.]]
Lands that constitute modern day Syria were part of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and had been annexed by the [[Place:Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid Empire]] in 539 BC. Led by Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenid Persians retained [[Social:Imperial Aramaic|Imperial Aramaic]] as one of the diplomatic languages of their empire (539 BC – 330 BC), as well as the Assyrian name for the new satrapy of Aram/Syria Eber-Nari.

Syria was later conquered by the [[Social:Ancient Greek|Greek]] Macedonian Empire which was ruled by Alexander the Great c. 330 BC, and consequently became [[Place:Coele-Syria|Coele-Syria]] province of the Greek [[Place:Seleucid Empire|Seleucid Empire]] (323 BC – 64 BC), with the Seleucid kings styling themselves 'King of Syria' and the city of Antioch being its capital starting from 240.

Thus, it was the Greeks who introduced the name "Syria" to the region. Originally an Indo-European corruption of "Assyria" in northern Mesopotamia (Iraq), the Greeks used this term to describe not only Assyria itself but also the lands to the west which had for centuries been under Assyrian dominion.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rollinger |first1=Robert |year=2006 |title=The terms "Assyria" and "Syria" again" |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/511103 |journal=Journal of Near Eastern Studies |volume=65 |issue=4 |pages=284–287 |doi=10.1086/511103 |s2cid=162760021}}</ref> Thus in the Greco-Roman world both the Arameans of Syria and the Assyrians of Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) to the east were referred to as "Syrians" or "Syriacs", despite these being distinct peoples in their own right, a confusion which would continue into the modern world. Eventually parts of southern Seleucid Syria were taken by Judean Hasmoneans upon the slow disintegration of the Hellenistic Empire.

Syria briefly came under Armenian control from 83 BC, with the conquests of the Armenian king Tigranes the Great, who was welcomed as a savior from the [[Place:Seleucid Empire|Seleucids]] and Romans by the Syrian people. However, Pompey the Great, a general of the Roman Empire, rode to Syria and captured Antioch, its capital, and turned Syria into a Roman province in 64 BC, thus ending Armenian control over the region which had lasted two decades. Syria prospered under Roman rule, being strategically located on the silk road, which gave it massive wealth and importance, making it the battleground for the rivaling Romans and Persians.

[[File:Bosra pano Syria.jpg|thumb|Roman Theatre at Bosra in the province of Arabia, present-day Syria]]
[[File:The Jupiter temple in Damascus.jpg|thumb|Temple of Jupiter, Damascus]]
Palmyra, a rich and sometimes powerful native Aramaic-speaking kingdom arose in northern Syria in the 2nd century; the Palmyrene established a trade network that made the city one of the richest in the Roman empire. Eventually, in the late 3rd century AD, the Palmyrene king Odaenathus defeated the Persian emperor Shapur I and controlled the entirety of the Roman East while his successor and widow Zenobia established the Palmyrene Empire, which briefly conquered Egypt, Syria, Palestine, much of Asia Minor, Judah and Lebanon, before being finally brought under Roman control in 273 AD.

The northern Mesopotamian Assyrian kingdom of [[History:Adiabene|Adiabene]] controlled areas of north east Syria between 10 AD and 117 AD, before it was conquered by Rome.<ref>Hist. xviii., vii. 1</ref>

The Aramaic language has been found as far afield as Hadrian's Wall in Ancient Britain,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/charlottehigginsblog/2009/oct/13/hadrians-wall|title=When Syrians, Algerians and Iraqis patrolled Hadrian's Wall|author=Charlotte Higgins|work=The Guardian|date=13 October 2009}}</ref> with an inscription written by a Palmyrene emigrant at the site of Fort Arbeia.<ref>Palmyra: Mirage in the Desert, Joan Aruz, 2018, page 78.</ref>

Control of Syria eventually passed from the [[History:Ancient Rome|Romans]] to the [[Place:Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]], with the split in the Roman Empire.<ref name="LibraryofCongress" />

The largely Aramaic-speaking population of Syria during the heyday of the Byzantine Empire was probably not exceeded again until the 19th century. Prior to the ''Arab Islamic Conquest'' in the 7th century AD, the bulk of the population were Arameans, but Syria was also home to Greek and [[History:Ancient Rome|Roman]] ruling classes, Assyrians still dwelt in the north east, Phoenicians along the coasts, and Jewish and Armenian communities were also extant in major cities, with Nabateans and ''pre-Islamic'' Arabs such as the Lakhmids and Ghassanids dwelling in the deserts of southern Syria. Syriac Christianity had taken hold as the major religion, although others still followed [[Religion:Judaism|Judaism]], Mithraism, Manicheanism, Greco-Roman Religion, Canaanite Religion and Mesopotamian Religion. Syria's large and prosperous population made Syria one of the most important of the Roman and Byzantine provinces, particularly during the 2nd and 3rd centuries (AD).<ref name="Cavendish Corporation 2006 183">{{cite book | last = Cavendish Corporation | first = Marshall | title = World and Its Peoples | publisher = Marshall Cavendish | year = 2006 | isbn = 978-0-7614-7571-2 | page = [https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse/page/183 183] | url = https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse/page/183 }}</ref>

[[File:Apamea 02.jpg|thumb|left|The ancient city of Apamea, an important commercial center and one of Syria's most prosperous cities in classical antiquity]]

Syrians held considerable amounts of power during the Severan dynasty. The matriarch of the family and Empress of Rome as wife of emperor Septimius Severus was Julia Domna, a Syrian from the city of Emesa (modern day Homs), whose family held hereditary rights to the priesthood of the god El-Gabal. Her great nephews, also Arabs from Syria, would also become Roman Emperors, the first being Elagabalus and the second, his cousin Alexander Severus. Another Roman emperor who was a Syrian was Philip the Arab (Marcus Julius Philippus), who was born in [[Place:Arabia Petraea|Roman Arabia]]. He was emperor from 244 to 249,<ref name="Cavendish Corporation 2006 183" /> and ruled briefly during the Crisis of the Third Century. During his reign, he focused on his home town of Philippopolis (modern day Shahba) and began many construction projects to improve the city, most of which were halted after his death.

Syria is significant in the history of Christianity; Saulus of Tarsus, better known as the Apostle Paul, was converted on the Road to Damascus and emerged as a significant figure in the Christian Church at Antioch in ancient Syria, from which he left on many of his missionary journeys. ({{Bibleverse|Acts|9:1–43|}}{{External links inline|date=November 2021|reason=Template bibleverse needs to be used in a footnote, not as an inline external link}})

=== Middle Ages ===
[[Biography:Muhammad|Muhammad]]'s first interaction with the people and tribes of Syria was during the Invasion of Dumatul Jandal in July 626<ref name="autogenerated2">{{citation|title= The life of Mahomet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YDwBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA225| first=William|last=Muir|publisher=Smith, Elder & Co|year=1861|pages=225–226}}</ref> where he ordered his followers to invade Duma, because Muhammad received intelligence that some tribes there were involved in highway robbery and preparing to attack Medina itself.<ref name="Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar pp. 193-194">{{Cite web |date=2011-06-23 |title=Military Platoons and Missions between the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of the Confederates |url=http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch4s8.html |access-date=2023-01-19 |pages=193–194|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623154138/http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch4s8.html |archive-date=23 June 2011 }}</ref>

William Montgomery Watt claims that this was the most significant expedition Muhammad ordered at the time, even though it received little notice in the primary sources. Dumat Al-Jandal was {{convert|500|mi|km|order=flip}} from Medina, and Watt says that there was no immediate threat to Muhammad, other than the possibility that his communications to Syria and supplies to Medina being interrupted. Watt says "It is tempting to suppose that Muhammad was already envisaging something of the expansion which took place after his death", and that the rapid march of his troops must have "impressed all those who heard of it".<ref name="Muhammad at Medina">{{Cite book |last=Montgomery Watt W. |url=http://archive.org/details/muhammadatmedina029655mbp |title=Muhammad At Medina |date=1956 |publisher=Oxford At The Clarendon Press. |others=Osmania University, Digital Library Of India |page=35 |quote=This expedition receives scant notice in the sources, but in some ways it is the most significant so far. As Dumah was some 800 km (500 mi) from Medina there can have been no immediate threat to Muhammad, but it may be, as Caetani suggests, 1 that communications with Syria were being interrupted and supplies to Medina stopped. It is tempting to suppose that was already envisaging something of the expansion which took place after his death.}}</ref>

William Muir also believes that the expedition was important as Muhammad followed by 1000 men reached the confines of Syria, where distant tribes had now learnt his name, while the political horizon of Muhammad was extended.<ref name="autogenerated2" />

[[File:Arabischer Maler um 730 002.jpg|thumb|Umayyad fresco from Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbî, built in the early 7th century]]
By AD 640, Syria [[History:Muslim conquest of the Levant|was conquered]] by the Arab Rashidun army led by Khalid ibn al-Walid. In the mid-7th century, the Umayyad dynasty, then rulers of the empire, placed the capital of the empire in Damascus. The country's power declined during later Umayyad rule; this was mainly due to totalitarianism, corruption and the resulting revolutions. The Umayyad dynasty was then overthrown in 750 by the Abbasid dynasty, which moved the capital of empire to [[Place:Baghdad|Baghdad]].

[[Social:Arabic language|Arabic]] – made official under Umayyad rule<ref>{{cite web|title=The Art of the Umayyad Period (661–750)|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/umay/hd_umay.htm|publisher=Met Museum}}</ref> – became the dominant language, replacing [[Social:Greek language|Greek]] and Aramaic of the Byzantine era. In 887, the Egypt-based Tulunids annexed Syria from the Abbasids, and were later replaced by once the Egypt-based Ikhshidids and still later by the Hamdanids originating in Aleppo founded by Sayf al-Dawla.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/578856/Syria |title=Syria: History |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref>

[[File:BattleOfHoms1299.JPG|thumb|left|The 1299 Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar. The Mongols under Ghazan defeated the Mamluks.]]
Sections of Syria were held by French, English, Italian and German overlords between 1098 and 1189 AD during the [[Religion:Crusades|Crusades]] and were known collectively as the [[Religion:Crusader states|Crusader states]] among which the primary one in Syria was the Principality of Antioch. The coastal mountainous region was also occupied in part by the Nizari Ismailis, the so-called [[Organization:Order of Assassins|Assassins]], who had intermittent confrontations and truces with the Crusader States. Later in history when "the Nizaris faced renewed Frankish hostilities, they received timely assistance from the Ayyubids."<ref>Farhad Daftary. ''A Short History of the Ismailis.'' 1998, Edinburg, UK. Edinburg University Press. Page 146.</ref>

After a century of Seljuk rule, Syria was largely conquered (1175–1185) by the Kurdish liberator Salah ad-Din, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt. Aleppo fell to the Mongols of Hulegu in January 1260, and Damascus in March, but then Hulegu was forced to break off his attack to return to China to deal with a succession dispute.

A few months later, the Mamluks arrived with an army from Egypt and defeated the Mongols in the Battle of Ain Jalut in [[Religion:Galilee|Galilee]]. The Mamluk leader, Baibars, made Damascus a provincial capital. When he died, power was taken by Qalawun. In the meantime, an emir named Sunqur al-Ashqar had tried to declare himself ruler of Damascus, but he was defeated by Qalawun on 21 June 1280, and fled to northern Syria. Al-Ashqar, who had married a Mongol woman, appealed for help from the Mongols. The Mongols of the Ilkhanate took Aleppo in October 1280, but Qalawun persuaded Al-Ashqar to join him, and they fought against the Mongols on 29 October 1281, in the Second Battle of Homs, which was won by the Mamluks.<ref>{{cite book |title=Timeframe AD 1200–1300: The Mongol Conquests |publisher=Time-Life Books |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-8094-6437-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/mongolconquestst00time/page/59 59–75] |url=https://archive.org/details/mongolconquestst00time/page/59 }}</ref>

In 1400, the Muslim Turco-Mongol conqueror Tamurlane invaded Syria, in which he sacked Aleppo,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1433425 |title=Battle of Aleppo |publisher=Everything2.com |date=22 February 2003 |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref> and captured Damascus after defeating the Mamluk army. The city's inhabitants were massacred, except for the artisans, who were deported to [[Place:Samarkand|Samarkand]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/08/wae/ht08wae.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428055820/http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/08/wae/ht08wae.htm|archive-date=28 April 2009 |title=The Eastern Mediterranean, 1400–1600 A.D |publisher=Metmuseum.org |access-date=23 April 2011}}</ref> Tamurlane also conducted specific massacres of the Aramean and Assyrian Christian populations, greatly reducing their numbers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/magazine/is-this-the-end-of-christianity-in-the-middle-east.html |title=Is This the End of Christianity in the Middle East? |website=The New York Times |date=22 July 2015 }}</ref> By the end of the 15th century, the discovery of a sea route from Europe to the Far East ended the need for an overland trade route through Syria.

[[File:Syrian women, Description de L'Universe (Alain Manesson Mallet, 1683) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Syrian women, 1683]]

=== Ottoman Syria ===
In 1516, the [[Place:Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire]] invaded the [[Place:Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt]], conquering Syria, and incorporating it into its empire. The Ottoman system was not burdensome to Syrians because the Turks respected Arabic as the language of the [[Religion:Quran|Quran]], and accepted the mantle of defenders of the faith. Damascus was made the major entrepot for [[Place:Mecca|Mecca]], and as such it acquired a holy character to Muslims, because of the beneficial results of the countless pilgrims who passed through on the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.<ref name="Syria – Ottoman Empire">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/syria/7.htm |title=Syria – Ottoman |publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies |access-date=25 January 2013}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>

[[File:Cedid Atlas (Syria) 1803.jpg|thumb|1803 Cedid Atlas, showing Ottoman Syria labelled as "Al Sham" in yellow]]
Ottoman administration followed a system that led to peaceful coexistence. Each ethno-religious minority—Arab Shia Muslim, Arab Sunni Muslim, Aramean-Syriac Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Maronite Christians, Assyrian Christians, Armenians, Kurds and [[Religion:Jews|Jews]]—constituted a millet.<ref>a b Stanford J. Shaw, "Dynamics of Ottoman Society and administration", in "History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey"</ref> The religious heads of each community administered all personal status laws and performed certain civil functions as well.<ref name="Syria – Ottoman Empire" /> In 1831, Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt renounced his loyalty to the Empire and overran Ottoman Syria, capturing Damascus. His short-term rule over the domain attempted to change the demographics and social structure of the region: he brought thousands of Egyptian villagers to populate the plains of Southern Syria, rebuilt Jaffa and settled it with veteran Egyptian soldiers aiming to turn it into a regional capital, and he crushed [[Finance:Peasant|peasant]] and Druze rebellions and deported non-loyal tribesmen. By 1840, however, he had to surrender the area back to the Ottomans.

From 1864, Tanzimat reforms were applied on Ottoman Syria, carving out the provinces (vilayets) of Aleppo, Zor, Beirut and Damascus Vilayet; Mutasarrifate of Mount Lebanon was created, as well, and soon after
the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem was given a separate status.

[[File:Armenian woman kneeling beside dead child in field.png|thumb|Armenian deportees near Aleppo during the Armenian genocide, 1915]]
During [[Social:World War I|World War I]], the [[Place:Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire]] entered the conflict on the side of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It ultimately suffered defeat and loss of control of the entire [[Place:Near East|Near East]] to the [[Place:British Empire|British Empire]] and [[Place:French colonial empire|French Empire]]. During the conflict, genocide against indigenous Christian peoples was carried out by the Ottomans and their allies in the form of the Armenian genocide and Assyrian genocide, of which Deir ez-Zor, in Ottoman Syria, was the final destination of these death marches.<ref>''Pouring a People into the Desert:The "Definitive Solution" of the Unionists to the Armenian Question'', Fuat Dundar, '''A Question of Genocide''', ed. Ronald Grigor Suny, Fatma Muge Gocek and Norman M. Naimark, (Oxford University Press, 2011), 280–281.</ref> In the midst of [[Social:World War I|World War I]], two Allied diplomats (Frenchman François Georges-Picot and Briton Mark Sykes) secretly agreed on the post-war division of the Ottoman Empire into respective zones of influence in the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916. Initially, the two territories were separated by a border that ran in an almost straight line from Jordan to [[Religion:Iran|Iran]]. However, the discovery of oil in the region of [[Place:Mosul|Mosul]] just before the end of the war led to yet another negotiation with France in 1918 to cede this region to the British zone of influence, which was to become Iraq. The fate of the intermediate province of Zor was left unclear; its occupation by Arab nationalists resulted in its attachment to Syria. This border was recognized internationally when Syria became a League of Nations mandate in 1920<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/IMG/pdf/III_-_Protmand_modifie_mandat.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626065208/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/IMG/pdf/III_-_Protmand_modifie_mandat.pdf |archive-date=26 June 2008 |title=Mandat Syrie-Liban |access-date=25 January 2013|language=fr}}</ref> and has not changed to date.

=== French Mandate ===
[[File:Hashim Atassi Inauguration 1936.jpg|left|thumb|The inauguration of President Hashim al-Atassi in 1936]]
In 1920, a short-lived independent Kingdom of Syria was established under Faisal I of the Hashemite family. However, his rule over Syria ended after only a few months, following the Battle of Maysalun. French troops occupied Syria later that year after the San Remo conference proposed that the League of Nations put Syria under a French mandate. General Gouraud had according to his secretary de Caix two options: "Either build a Syrian nation that does not exist... by smoothing the rifts which still divide it" or "cultivate and maintain all the phenomena, which require our arbitration that these divisions give". De Caix added "I must say only the second option interests me". This is what Gouraud did.<ref>{{cite book |author=James Barr |title=a line in the sand. Britain, France and the struggle that shaped the Middle East|publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-84737-453-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Peter N. Stearns |author2=William Leonard Langer |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MziRd4ddZz4C|title=The Encyclopedia of World History |chapter=The Middle East, p. 761 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Books |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-395-65237-4}}</ref>

In 1925, Sultan al-Atrash led a revolt that broke out in the [[Earth:Jabal al-Druze|Druze Mountain]] and spread to engulf the whole of Syria and parts of Lebanon. Al-Atrash won several battles against the French, notably the Battle of al-Kafr on 21 July 1925, the Battle of al-Mazraa on 2–3 August 1925, and the battles of Salkhad, al-Musayfirah and Suwayda. France sent thousands of troops from Morocco and Senegal, leading the French to regain many cities, although resistance lasted until the spring of 1927. The French sentenced Sultan al-Atrash to death, but he had escaped with the rebels to Transjordan and was eventually pardoned. He returned to Syria in 1937 after the signing of the Syrian-French Treaty.

[[File:Ghouta rebels in 1925.jpg|thumb|Syrian rebels in Ghouta during the Great Syrian Revolt against French colonial rule in the 1920s]]
Syria and France negotiated a treaty of independence in September 1936, and Hashim al-Atassi was the first president to be elected under the first incarnation of the modern republic of Syria. However, the treaty never came into force because the French Legislature refused to ratify it. With the fall of France in 1940 during [[Social:World War II|World War II]], Syria came under the control of [[Religion:Vichy France|Vichy France]] until the British and Free French occupied the country in the Syria-Lebanon campaign in July 1941. Continuing pressure from Syrian nationalists and the British forced the French to evacuate their troops in April 1946, leaving the country in the hands of a republican government that had been formed during the mandate.<ref name="USDoS">{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/syria/85051.htm |title=Background Note: Syria |work=United States Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, May 2007}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>

=== Independent Syrian Republic ===
Upheaval dominated Syrian politics from independence through the late 1960s. In May 1948, Syrian forces invaded [[Place:Palestine (region)|Palestine]], together with other Arab states, and immediately attacked Jewish settlements.<ref>Gelber, 2006, pp. 138</ref> Their president Shukri al-Quwwatli instructed his troops in the front, "to destroy the Zionists".<ref>Morris, 2008, pp. 253, 254</ref><ref>Tal, 2004, pp. 251</ref> The Invasion purpose was to prevent the establishment of the [[Place:Israel|State of Israel]].<ref name="Britan">{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/578856/Syria/29922/World-War-II-and-independence |title=Syria: World War II and independence |date=23 May 2023 |publisher=Britannica Online Encyclopedia}}</ref> Toward this end, the Syrian government engaged in an active process of recruiting former [[Social:Nazism|Nazis]], including several former members of the Schutzstaffel, to build up their armed forces and military intelligence capabilities.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Chen|first=Chern|date=2018-08-08|title=Former Nazi Officers in the Near East: German Military Advisors in Syria, 1949–56|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/07075332.2017.1367705|journal=The International History Review|volume=40|issue=4|pages=732–751|doi=10.1080/07075332.2017.1367705|s2cid=158837784|issn=0707-5332}}</ref>  Defeat in this war was one of several trigger factors for the March 1949 Syrian coup d'état by Col. Husni al-Za'im, described as the first military overthrow of the Arab World<ref name="Britan" /> since the start of the Second World War. This was soon followed by another overthrow, by Col. Sami al-Hinnawi, who was himself quickly deposed by Col. Adib Shishakli, all within the same year.<ref name="Britan" />

Shishakli eventually abolished multipartyism altogether, but was himself overthrown in a 1954 coup and the parliamentary system was restored.<ref name="Britan" /> However, by this time, power was increasingly concentrated in the military and security establishment.<ref name="Britan" /> The weakness of Parliamentary institutions and the mismanagement of the economy led to unrest and the influence of [[Social:Nasserism|Nasserism]] and other ideologies. There was fertile ground for various Arab nationalist, Syrian nationalist, and socialist movements, which represented disaffected elements of society. Notably included were religious minorities, who demanded radical reform.<ref name="Britan" />

In November 1956, as a direct result of the Suez Crisis,<ref>{{cite news|last=Robson |first=John |url=http://www.torontosun.com/2012/02/10/syria-hasnt-changed-but-the-world-has |title=Syria hasn't changed, but the world has |newspaper=Toronto Sun |date=10 February 2012 |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref> Syria signed a pact with the [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]]. This gave a foothold for Communist influence within the government in exchange for military equipment.<ref name="Britan" /> [[Place:Turkey|Turkey]] then became worried about this increase in the strength of Syrian military technology, as it seemed feasible that Syria might attempt to retake İskenderun. Only heated debates in the United Nations lessened the threat of war.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brecher |first=Michael |author2=Jonathan Wilkenfeld |title=A Study of Crisis |publisher=[[Organization:University of Michigan Press|University of Michigan Press]] |year=1997 |pages=345–346 |isbn=978-0-472-10806-0}}</ref>

[[File:Syrien 1961 Aleppol 1.jpg|thumb|Aleppo in 1961]]
On 1 February 1958, Syrian President Shukri al-Quwatli and Egypt's Nasser announced the merging of Egypt and Syria, creating the [[Place:United Arab Republic|United Arab Republic]], and all Syrian political parties, as well as the communists therein, ceased overt activities.<ref name="USDoS" /> Meanwhile, a group of Syrian Ba'athist officers, alarmed by the party's poor position and the increasing fragility of the union, decided to form a secret Military Committee; its initial members were Lieutenant-Colonel Muhammad Umran, Major Salah Jadid and Captain Hafiz al-Assad. Syria seceded from the union with Egypt on 28 September 1961, after a coup.

=== Ba'athist Syria ===
[[File:Military Committee celebrates 1963 coup.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Ba'athist military officers celebrating overthrowal of democratically elected Syrian President Nazim al-Qudsi in 1963. The event marked a "radical break" in modern Syrian history, after which Ba'ath party monopolised power in the country to establish a one-party state and shaped a new socio-political order by enforcing its state ideology.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Atassi |first=Karim |title= Syria, the Strength of an Idea: The Constitutional Architectures of Its Political Regimes |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2018 |isbn= 978-1-107-18360-5 |location=New York, NY 10006, USA |doi= 10.1017/9781316872017 |pages=252|chapter=6: The Fourth Republic}}</ref>]]
[[File:Destruction in the al-Qunaytra village in the Golan Heights, after the Israeli withdrawal in 1974.jpg|thumb|Quneitra village, largely destroyed before the Israeli withdrawal in June 1974.]]
[[File:Lebanon civil war map 1976.gif|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Syrian military invaded Lebanon after orders from Hafiz al-Assad on 31 May 1976.]]
[[File:The destruction of Hama 1982.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Ruins of Hama city in the aftermath of  the Hama massacre in 1982. At least 40,000 inhabitants were slaughtered in what has been described as "single deadliest act" of violence perpetrated by any state upon its own population, in modern Arab history<ref name=wright2008>Wright 2008:&nbsp;243-244</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Amos |first=Deborah |date=2 February 2012 |title=30 Years Later, Photos Emerge From Killings In Syria |website=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2012/02/01/146235292/30-years-later-photos-emerge-from-killings-in-syria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202213317/https://www.npr.org/2012/02/01/146235292/30-years-later-photos-emerge-from-killings-in-syria |archive-date=2 February 2012}}</ref>]]
The ensuing instability following the 1961 coup culminated in the 8 March 1963 Ba'athist coup. The takeover was engineered by members of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, led by [[Biography:Michel Aflaq|Michel Aflaq]] and Salah al-Din al-Bitar. The new Syrian cabinet was dominated by Ba'ath members.<ref name="USDoS" /><ref name="Britan" /> Since the 1963 seizure of power by its Military Committee, the Ba'ath party has ruled Syria as totalitarian state. Ba'athists took control over country's politics, education, culture, religion and surveilled all aspects of civil society through its powerful ''Mukhabarat'' (secret police). Syrian Arab Armed forces and secret police were integrated with the Ba'ath party apparatus; after the purging of traditional civilian and military elites by the new regime.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wieland |first=Carsten |title=Syria and the Neutrality Trap |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-7556-4138-3 |location=New York, USA}}</ref>

On 23 February 1966, the neo-Ba'athist Military Committee carried out an intra-party rebellion against the Ba'athist Old Guard ([[Biography:Michel Aflaq|Aflaq]] and Bitar), imprisoned President Amin al-Hafiz and designated a regionalist, civilian Ba'ath government on 1 March.<ref name="Britan" /> Although Nureddin al-Atassi became the formal head of state, Salah Jadid was Syria's effective ruler from 1966 until November 1970,<ref>{{cite news|title=Salah Jadid, 63, Leader of Syria Deposed and Imprisoned by Assad|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/24/obituaries/salah-jadid-63-leader-of-syria-deposed-and-imprisoned-by-assad.html|work=The New York Times|date=24 August 1993}}</ref> when he was deposed by Hafiz al-Assad, who at the time was Minister of Defense.<ref name=ps /> The coup led to the schism within the original pan-Arab Ba'ath Party: one Iraqi-led ba'ath movement (ruled Iraq from 1968 to 2003) and one Syrian-led ba'ath movement was established.

In the first half of 1967, a low-key state of war existed between Syria and [[Place:Israel|Israel]]. Conflict over Israeli cultivation of land in the Demilitarized Zone led to 7 April pre-war aerial clashes between Israel and Syria.<ref name="Tessler1994">{{cite book|author=Mark A. Tessler|title=A History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3kbU4BIAcrQC&pg=PA382|year=1994|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-20873-6|page=382}}</ref> When the Six-Day War broke out between Egypt and Israel, Syria joined the war and attacked Israel as well. In the final days of the war, Israel turned its attention to Syria, capturing two-thirds of the [[Place:Golan Heights|Golan Heights]] in under 48 hours.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Campaign for the Books |magazine=Time |date=1 September 1967 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,837237,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215142006/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,837237,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2008 }}</ref> The defeat caused a split between Jadid and Assad over what steps to take next.<ref name="Khatib2012">{{cite book|author=Line Khatib|title=Islamic Revivalism in Syria: The Rise and Fall of Ba'thist Secularism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S6FMnCyvCu4C&pg=PA34|date=23 May 2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-78203-6|page=34}}</ref>

Disagreement developed between Jadid, who controlled the party apparatus, and Assad, who controlled the military. The 1970 retreat of Syrian forces sent to aid the PLO during the "Black September" hostilities with Jordan reflected this disagreement.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/28/nixon.papers/index.html |title=Jordan asked Nixon to attack Syria, declassified papers show |publisher=CNN |date= 28 November 2007|access-date=25 October 2008}}</ref> The power struggle culminated in the November 1970 Syrian Corrective movement, a bloodless military coup that installed Hafiz al-Assad as the strongman of the government.<ref name=ps>{{cite book |last=Seale |first=Patrick |title=Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East |publisher=University of California Press |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-520-06976-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/asadofsyriastrug00seal }}</ref> General Hafiz al-Assad transformed a [[Social:Ba'athism|Ba'athist]] [[Social:One-party state|party state]] into a [[Philosophy:Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] [[Social:Dictatorship|dictatorship]] marked by his pervasive grip on the party, armed forces, secret police, media, education sector, religious and cultural spheres and all aspects of civil society. A [[Social:Cult of personality|cult of personality]] revolving around Hafiz and his family became a core tenet of Ba'athist ideology,<ref name="The Sturdy House That Assad Built2">{{cite magazine |author=Michael Bröning |date=7 March 2011 |title=The Sturdy House That Assad Built |url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67561/michael-broening/the-sturdy-house-that-assad-built |magazine=Foreign Affairs}}</ref> which espoused that Assad dynasty was destined to rule perennially.<ref>{{Cite book |last=P. Miller, H. Rand |first=Andrew, Dafna |title=Re-Engaging the Middle East |publisher=Brookings Institution Press |year=2020 |isbn=9780815737629 |location=Washington D.C, USA |page=28 |chapter=2: The Syrian Crucible and Future U.S. Options}}</ref>

On 6 October 1973, Syria and Egypt initiated the Yom Kippur War against Israel. The Israel Defense Forces reversed the initial Syrian gains and pushed deeper into Syrian territory.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rabinovich |first=Abraham |title=The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East |publisher=Schocken Books |year=2005 |location=New York City|isbn=978-0-8052-4176-1 |page=302}}</ref>

In the late 1970s, an Islamist uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood was aimed against the government. Islamists attacked civilians and off-duty military personnel, leading security forces to also kill civilians in retaliatory strikes. The uprising had reached its climax in the 1982 Hama massacre,<ref>{{cite web|author=Itzchak Weismann |url=http://www.ou.edu/mideast/Additional%20pages%20-%20non-catagory/Sufism%20in%20Syriawebpage.htm |title=Sufism and Sufi Brotherhoods in Syria and Palestine |publisher=University of Oklahoma |access-date=30 January 2013}}</ref> when some 10,000 – 40,000 people were killed by regular Syrian Army troops.
[[File:Cedar Revolution Demonstrators.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Killing of Rafic Hariri in 2005 led to international condemnation and triggered a popular ''Intifada'' in Lebanon, which forced Assad regime to end its 29-year old of military occupation in Lebanon]]
In a major shift in relations with both other Arab states and the Western world, Syria participated in the US-led Gulf War against Saddam Hussein. Syria participated in the multilateral Madrid Conference of 1991, and during the 1990s engaged in negotiations with Israel. These negotiations failed, and there have been no further direct Syrian-Israeli talks since President Hafiz al-Assad's meeting with then President Bill Clinton in Geneva in March 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forward.com/articles/7655/ |title=Syria Makes Overture Over Negotiations |publisher=Forward.com |author=Marc Perelman |date=11 July 2003 |access-date=25 October 2008}}</ref>

Hafiz al-Assad died on 10 June 2000. His son, Bashar al-Assad, was elected president in an election in which he ran unopposed.<ref name="USDoS" /> His election saw the birth of the Damascus Spring and hopes of reform, but by autumn 2001, the authorities had suppressed the movement, imprisoning some of its leading intellectuals.<ref name=Alan>{{cite book|last=George|first=Alan|title=Syria: neither bread nor freedom|year=2003|publisher=Zed Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-84277-213-3|pages=56–58|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dFdbVVcKsSIC}}</ref> Instead, reforms have been limited to some market reforms.<ref name="The Sturdy House That Assad Built2"/><ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite journal |url=http://www.meforum.org/683/syrian-reform-what-lies-beneath |first=Farid N. |last=Ghadry |title=Syrian Reform: What Lies Beneath |date=Winter 2005 |journal=The Middle East Quarterly }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2579331.stm |title=Profile: Syria's Bashar al-Assad |access-date=25 October 2008 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

On 5 October 2003, Israel bombed a site near Damascus, claiming it was a terrorist training facility for members of Islamic Jihad.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-launches-strikes-on-syria-in-retaliation-for-bomb-attack-582373.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515112138/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-launches-strikes-on-syria-in-retaliation-for-bomb-attack-582373.html |archive-date=15 May 2011 |title=Israel launches strikes on Syria in retaliation for bomb attack |work=The Independent |access-date=23 October 2008 |location=London |first=Justin |last=Huggler |url-status=dead |date=6 October 2003}}</ref> In March 2004, Syrian Kurds and Arabs clashed in the northeastern city of al-Qamishli. Signs of rioting were seen in the cities of Qamishli and Hasakeh.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/Newsdesk.nsf/Story/8A24116B9C5C2F34C2256E59002D08F0?OpenDocument&PRINT |title=Naharnet Newsdesk – Syria Curbs Kurdish Riots for a Merger with Iraq's Kurdistan |publisher=Naharnet.com |access-date=25 October 2008}}</ref> In 2005, Syria ended its military presence in Lebanon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4322477.stm |work=BBC News |title=Syria sidesteps Lebanon demands |date=6 March 2005 |access-date=28 April 2010 |first=Orla |last=Guerin}}</ref><ref name="The Los Angeles Times">{{cite news |title=Last Syrian troops out of Lebanon |url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=Last+Syrian+troops+out+of+lebanon&dr_year=2005-2005 |access-date=17 March 2020 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=27 April 2005}}</ref> On 6 September 2007, foreign jet fighters, suspected as Israeli, reportedly carried out Operation Orchard against a suspected [[Physics:Nuclear reactor|nuclear reactor]] under construction by North Korean technicians.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Sanger |title=Israel Struck Syrian Nuclear Project, Analysts Say |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/washington/14weapons.html|work=The New York Times |date=14 October 2007 |access-date=15 October 2007 }}</ref>

===Current political situation 2011 to present===
==== Syrian Civil War ====
[[File:Anti-government protest in Assi square of Hama.ogg|right|thumb|upright=1.2|Hundreds of thousands of Syrian protesters gather in Hama on 22 July 2011 during the outbreak of Syrian Revolution, chanting the rallying slogan of the Arab Spring: "'''Ash-shab yurid isqat an-nizam'''" ({{lang-ar|الشعب يريد إسقاط النظام|lit="''the people want to bring down the regime!''"}}.]]
The ongoing Syrian Civil War was inspired by the [[Social:Arab Spring|Arab Spring]] revolutions. It began in 2011 as a chain of peaceful protests, which was suppressed through a deadly crackdown by the Syrian security apparatus.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13343540 |title=Syrian army tanks 'moving towards Hama' |work=BBC News |date=10 May 2011 |access-date=18 May 2015}}</ref> In July 2011, Army defectors declared the formation of the Free Syrian Army and began forming fighting units. The opposition is dominated by Sunni Muslims, whereas the leading government figures are generally associated with Alawites.<ref>{{cite news |first=Kim |last=Sengupta |location=Antakya |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrias-sectarian-war-goes-international-as-foreign-fighters-and-arms-pour-into-country-7216665.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrias-sectarian-war-goes-international-as-foreign-fighters-and-arms-pour-into-country-7216665.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Syria's sectarian war goes international as foreign fighters and arms pour into country |work=The Independent |date=20 February 2012 |access-date=22 February 2012 }}</ref> The war also involves rebel groups ([[Religion:Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|IS]] and al-Nusra) and various foreign countries, leading to claims of a [[Social:Proxy war|proxy war]] in Syria.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Germany |first1=SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg |title=Battle for Aleppo: How Syria Became the New Global War |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/syria-war-became-conflict-between-usa-and-russia-and-iran-a-1115681.html |work=Der Spiegel |date=11 October 2016 |quote=Syria has become a proxy war between the US and Russia |access-date=4 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405173520/http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/syria-war-became-conflict-between-usa-and-russia-and-iran-a-1115681.html |archive-date=5 April 2017 |url-status=live}}<br />{{cite news |last1=O'Connor |first1=Tom |title=Iran's military leader tells U.S. to get out of Persian Gulf |url=http://www.newsweek.com/iran-military-us-get-out-persian-gulf-577231 |work=Newsweek |date=31 March 2017 |quote=The Gulf Arab faction, especially Saudi Arabia, has been engaged in a proxy war of regional influence with Iran |access-date=4 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405074950/http://www.newsweek.com/iran-military-us-get-out-persian-gulf-577231 |archive-date=5 April 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

According to various sources, including the United Nations, up to 100,000 people had been killed by June 2013,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/13/death-toll-syrian-conflict-93000 |title=Syria deaths near 100,000, says U.N. – and 6,000 are children |work=The Guardian |date= 13 June 2013}}</ref><ref name=extremetorture>{{cite web|last=Carsten |first=Paul |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9145744/Syria-Bodies-of-23-extreme-torture-victims-found-in-Idlib-as-thousands-rally-for-Assad.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9145744/Syria-Bodies-of-23-extreme-torture-victims-found-in-Idlib-as-thousands-rally-for-Assad.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Syria: Bodies of 23 'extreme torture' victims found in Idlib as thousands rally for Assad |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=15 March 2012 |access-date=25 January 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-12-22/syria-arab-league/52159302/1 |title=Arab League delegates head to Syria over 'bloodbath'. ''USA Today''. (22 December 2011). Retrieved 26 June 2012 |work=USA Today |date=22 December 2011 |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref> including 11,000 children.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-11-24 |title=Syria conflict: Children 'targeted by snipers' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-25055956 |access-date=2023-01-19}}</ref> To escape the violence, 4.9&nbsp;million<ref>{{cite web|title=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)|url=http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/global-trends-2015.html|website=UNHCR Global Trends 2015|publisher=United Nations|access-date=15 September 2016}}</ref> Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring countries of Jordan,<ref name=news24>{{cite web|url=http://www.news24.com/World/News/Syria-Refugees-brace-for-more-bloodshed-20120312 |title=Syria: Refugees brace for more bloodshed |publisher=News24.com |date=12 March 2012 |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref> Iraq,<ref>{{cite web|author=Lara Jakes And Yahya Barzanji |url=https://news.yahoo.com/syrian-kurds-cold-reception-iraqi-kurds-202627548.html |title=Syrian Kurds get cold reception from Iraqi Kurds |publisher=Yahoo! News |date=14 March 2012 |access-date=30 January 2013}}</ref> Lebanon, and Turkey.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/syria-crisis-refugees-million-un |title=Syria crisis: number of refugees tops 1.5 million, says UN |work= The Guardian|date= 16 May 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php Syria Regional Refugee Response – Demographic Data of Registered Population] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219072255/http://www.data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php |date=19 February 2018 }}. UNHCR.</ref> An estimated 450,000 Syrian Christians have fled their homes.<ref name="war">{{Cite web |last=Algemeiner |first=The |title=Syrian Civil War Causes One-Third of Country's Christians to Flee Their Homes |url=http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/10/18/syrian-civil-war-causes-one-third-of-country’s-christians-to-flee-their-homes/ |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=Algemeiner.com |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=February 2018}}  By October 2017, an estimated 400,000 people had been killed in the war according to the UN.<ref>{{cite web |date=27 August 2013 |title=Syrian Civil War Fast Facts |url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/world/meast/syria-civil-war-fast-facts/index.html |publisher=CNN}}</ref>

In September 2022, a new UN report stated that the Syrian Civil War was in danger of flaring up again. The UN also said it had been totally unable to deliver any supplies during the first half of 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-14 |title=Syria may 'return to larger-scale fighting,' UN warns in new report |url=https://arab.news/8gr2n |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=Arab News |language=en}}</ref>

====Current conflicts====
As of 2022, the main external military threat and conflict are firstly, an ongoing conflict with ISIS; and secondly, ongoing concerns of possible invasion of the northeast regions of Syria by Turkish forces, in order to strike Kurdish groups in general, and [[Place:Rojava|Rojava]] in particular.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Court |first1=Mireille |last2=Hond |first2=Chris Den |date=2020-02-18 |title=Is This the End of Rojava? |language=en-US |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/world/rojava-kurds-syria/ |access-date=2023-01-19 |issn=0027-8378}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Letters |date=2019-11-01 |title=We stand in solidarity with Rojava, an example to the world {{!}} Letter |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/01/we-stand-in-solidarity-with-rojava-an-example-to-the-world |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement regarding Syrian Democratic Forces security operation in al-Hol camp |url=https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/STATEMENTS/Statements-View/Article/3161976/statement-regarding-syrian-democratic-forces-security-operation-in-al-hol-camp/https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/STATEMENTS/Statements-View/Article/3161976/statement-regarding-syrian-democratic-forces-security-operation-in-al-hol-camp/ |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=U.S. Central Command |language=en-US }}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> An official report by the Rojava government noted Turkey-backed militias as the main threat to the region of Rojava and its government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Syrian National Army: The Turkish Proxy Militias of Northern Syria – Rojava Information Center |url=https://rojavainformationcenter.com/2022/07/the-syrian-national-army-the-turkish-proxy-militias-of-northern-syria/ |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=rojavainformationcenter.com |date=21 July 2022 |language=en-GB |archive-date=21 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721092444/https://rojavainformationcenter.com/2022/07/the-syrian-national-army-the-turkish-proxy-militias-of-northern-syria/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As of 2023, Turkey was continuing its support for various militias within Syria, which periodically attempted some operations against Kurdish groups consisting mostly of the YPG/YPJ.<ref>[https://newlinesinstitute.org/syria/operation-claw-sword-exposes-blind-spots-in-the-us-ne-syria-strategy/ Operation Claw-Sword Exposes Blind Spots in the US NE Syria Strategy] by Caroline Rose, Aram Shabanian, Calvin Wilder, March 7, 2023, website of new Lines Institute.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-05 |title=Turkey planned Syria military operation after Russia withdrawal, sources reveal |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220605-turkey-planned-syria-military-operation-after-russia-withdrawal-sources-reveal/ |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=Middle East Monitor |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Syria: US-backed SDF 'open' to working with Syrian troops to fight off Turkey invasion |url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-sdf-open-working-syrian-troops-fight-turkey-invasion |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref> One stated goal was to create 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) wide "safe zones" along Turkey's border with Syria, according to a statement by Turkish President Erdoğan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Agencies |date=2022-06-07 |title=Russian, regime forces boosted after Turkey signals Syria operation |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/diplomacy/russian-regime-forces-boosted-after-turkey-signals-syria-operation |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=Daily Sabah |language=en-US}}</ref> The operations were generally aimed at the Tal Rifaat and Manbij regions west of the [[Place:Euphrates|Euphrates]] and other areas further east. President Erdoğan openly stated his support for the operations, in talks with Moscow in mid-2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=President Erdoğan reiterates determination for Syria operation – Türkiye News |url=https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/president-erdogan-reiterates-determination-for-syria-operation-175967 |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=Hürriyet Daily News |date=8 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2022, the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said that Kurdish forces were willing to work with Syrian government forces to defend against Turkey, saying “Damascus should use its air defense systems against Turkish planes." Abdi said that Kurdish groups would be able to cooperate with the Syrian government, and still retain their autonomy.<ref>[https://www.voanews.com/a/us-backed-kurdish-led-forces-say-ready-to-coordinate-with-syrian-army-against-turkey/6606769.html US-Backed Kurdish-Led Forces Say Ready to Coordinate With Syrian Army Against Turkey], Reuters, via VOA website, By Maya Gebeily, June 5, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/syria/2022/06/06/syria-should-use-air-defences-against-turkish-invasion/ Syria 'should use air defences' against Turkish invasion], The National, June 6, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2022/06/20/these-kurdish-led-forces-cannot-count-on-syrian-air-defenses-to-protect-them-against-the-turkish-air-force/ These Kurdish-Led Forces Cannot Count On Syrian Air Defenses To Protect Them Against The Turkish Air Force], Paul Iddon, Jun 20, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/06/kurdish-syrian-iranian-forces-coordinate-ahead-turkish-operation Kurdish, Syrian, Iranian forces coordinate ahead of Turkish operation:Kurdish units and Iranian-affiliated factions in Syria have formed a joint operations room under Russian supervision to counter a possible Turkish military operation in northern Syria.], by Mohammed Hardan, June 17, 2022. al-monitor.com</ref><ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-backed-syrian-kurds-turn-damascus-turkey-attacks-85231755  US-backed Syrian Kurds to turn to Damascus if Turkey attacks. The U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria say they will turn to the government in Damascus for support should Turkey go ahead with its threat to launch a new incursion into the war-torn country.] By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press, June 7, 2022.</ref> In July 2022, the SDF and the official Syrian military forged active plans to coordinate actively together to create defense plans to guard against invasion by Turkey.<ref>[https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3743096/sdf-syrian-regime-agree-defense-plan-repel-turkish-attack SDF, Syrian Regime Agree on Defense Plan to Repel Turkish Attack], Wednesday, by Qamishli – Kamal Sheikho, 6 July 2022.</ref> The SDF said that they felt that the main threat to Kurdish groups was an invasion by Turkey.<ref>[https://www.coffeeordie.com/syria-turkey-invasion DISPATCH FROM SYRIA: DEMOCRATIC FORCES PREPARE FOR TURKISH INVASION:The regional government in north and east Syria declares a state of emergency as Turkey threatens invasion. Troops on the front say theyre ready for war.],  by Michael R. Shea, July 8, 2022.</ref>

As of 2023, active fighting in the conflict between the Syrian government and rebel groups had mostly subsided, but there were occasional flareups in Northwestern Syria.<ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/15/twelve-years-on-from-the-beginning-of-syrias-war Twelve years on from the beginning of Syrias war] By Al Jazeera Staff ,15 Mar 2023.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132837|title=Security Council: 12 years of war, leaves 70 per cent of Syrians needing aid|date=25 January 2023|publisher={{wipe|United Nations}}}}</ref> In early 2023, reports indicated that the forces of ISIS in Syria had mostly been defeated, with only a few cells remaining in various remote locations.<ref>[https://iraq.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/S202376%20EN.pdf Sixteenth report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat], UN  official website, February 2023.</ref><ref>[https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3255908/centcom-year-in-review-2022-the-fight-against-isis/ CENTCOM – YEAR IN REVIEW 2022: THE FIGHT AGAINST ISIS], USCENTCOM, official website of US Army Central Command, Dec. 29, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.euronews.com/2023/03/01/ex-islamic-state-fighters-still-pose-a-risk-in-turkey-finds-report Ex-Islamic State fighters still pose a risk in Turkey, finds report], By Joshua Askew, March 1, 2023.</ref>

==== Major economic crisis ====
On 10 June 2020, hundreds of protesters returned to the streets of Sweida for the fourth consecutive day, rallying against the collapse of the country's economy, as the Syrian pound plummeted to 3,000 to the dollar within the previous week.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-sweida-protests/protests-hit-druze-city-in-syria-for-fourth-day-idUSKBN23H3LR |title= Protests hit Druze city in Syria for fourth day. |work= Reuters |date= 10 June 2020 |last1= Al-Khalidi |first1= Suleiman }}</ref>

On 11 June, Prime Minister Imad Khamis was dismissed by President Bashar al-Assad, amid anti-government protests over deteriorating economic conditions.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53006408 |title= Syria war: Assad sacks PM as economic crisis sparks protests. |work= BBC News |date= 11 June 2020 }}</ref> The new lows for the Syrian currency, and the dramatic increase in sanctions, began to appear to raise new concerns about the survival of the Assad government.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-06-08 |title=Syrian pound hits record low ahead of new U.S. sanctions: dealers |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-economy-currency-idUSKBN23F2YL |access-date=2023-01-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Syrian currency collapse throws country into uncertainty |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/syrian-currency-collapse-throws-country-into-uncertainty-630719 |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |date=8 June 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Syrian currency loses more value as sanctions hit |url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/11062020 |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=www.rudaw.net}}</ref>

Analysts noted that a resolution to the current [[Finance:Lebanese liquidity crisis|banking crisis in Lebanon]] might be crucial to restoring stability in Syria.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goodridge |first=Hugo |date=2020-06-04 |title=Charting the dramatic collapse of Syria's national currency |url=https://www.newarab.com/analysis/charting-dramatic-collapse-syrias-national-currency |access-date=2023-01-19 |language=en}}</ref>

Some analysts began to raise concerns that Assad might be on the verge of losing power; but that any such collapse in the regime might cause conditions to worsen, as the result might be mass chaos, rather than an improvement in political or economic conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lister |first=Charles |title=Is Assad About to Fall? |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/11/assad-syria-collapse-313276 |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=POLITICO |date=11 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Browne |first=Gareth |date=2020-06-08 |title=Assad faces backlash in Syria as economy crashes |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/08/assad-faces-backlash-syria-economy-crashes/ |access-date=2023-01-19 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McLoughlin |first=Paul |date=2020-06-07 |title=Syria Insight: Syria's collapsing economy threatens Assad's rule |url=https://www.newarab.com/analysis/syria-insight-syrias-collapsing-economy-threatens-assads-rule |access-date=2023-01-19 |language=en}}</ref> Russia continued to expand its influence and military role in the areas of Syria where the main military conflict was occurring.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iddon |first=Paul |date=2020-06-09 |title=Russia's expanding military footprint in the Middle East |url=https://www.newarab.com/analysis/russias-expanding-military-footprint-middle-east |access-date=2023-01-19 |language=en}}</ref>

Analysts noted that the upcoming implementation of new heavy sanctions under the US Caesar Act could devastate the Syrian economy, ruin any chances of recovery, destroy regional stability, and do nothing but destabilize the entire region.<ref name="Guardian 6-12-2020">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/12/us-caesar-act-sanctions-and-could-devastate-syrias-flatlining-economy |title=US 'Caesar Act' sanctions could devastate Syria's flatlining economy. Critics say legislation is being used for US strategy and could cause further problems for country and wider region |first=Martin |last=Chulov |newspaper={{wipe|The Guardian}} |date=12 June 2020}}</ref>

The first new sanctions took effect on 17 June. There will be additional sanctions implemented in August, in three different groups. There are increasing reports that food is becoming difficult to find, the country's economy is under severe pressure, and the whole regime could collapse due to the sanctions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Syria Economic Meltdown Presents New Challenge for Assad |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/middle-east_syria-economic-meltdown-presents-new-challenge-assad/6190999.html |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=VOA |date=12 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

As of early 2022, Syria was still facing a major economic crisis due to sanctions and other economic pressures. there was some doubt of the Syrian government's ability to pay for subsisides for the population and for basic services and programs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Syria approves $5.3bn budget for 2022 as economic crisis hits finances |url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-approves-53-bn-budget-2022-economic-crisis-hits-finances |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-01 |title=2022 Look Ahead: No end to suffering in sight for war-weary Syrians |url=https://arab.news/nchz6 |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=Arab News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-04 |title=The future looks grim for beleaguered Syrians |url=https://arab.news/bywab |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=Arab News |language=en}}</ref> The UN reported there were massive problems looming for Syria's ability to feed its population in the near future.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ula |first=enab10 |date=2021-12-30 |title=Syria's wheat crisis foreshadows a famine |url=https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2021/12/syrias-wheat-crisis-foreshadows-a-famine/ |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=Enab Baladi |language=en-US}}</ref>

In one possibly positive sign for the well-being of Syria's population, several Arab countries began an effort to normalize relations with Syria, and to conclude a deal to provide energy supplies to Syria. This effort was led by Jordan, and included several other Arab countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=RA |first=enab07 |date=2021-11-30 |title=US, Russia and Israel support energy supply despite Caesar Act |url=https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2021/11/us-russia-and-israel-support-energy-supply-despite-caesar-act/ |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=Enab Baladi |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Water_Stress,_Top_Countries_(2020).svg|thumb|Syria is the twelfth most water stressed country in the world.]]
Syria lies between latitudes 32° and 38° N, and longitudes 35° and 43° E. The climate varies from the humid Mediterranean coast, through a semiarid steppe zone, to arid desert in the east. The country consists mostly of arid plateau, although the northwest part bordering the Mediterranean is fairly green. [[Place:Upper Mesopotamia|Al-Jazira]] in the northeast and [[Earth:Hauran|Hawran]] in the south are important agricultural areas. The [[Place:Euphrates|Euphrates]], Syria's most important river, crosses the country in the east. Syria is one of the fifteen states that comprise the so-called "[[Social:Cradle of civilization|cradle of civilization]]".<ref>{{cite book |last=F. A. Schaeffer |first=Claude |title = Syria and the Cradle of Civilization: The Findings of Claude F a Schaeffer in Ras Shamra |publisher = Trubner & Company |year = 2003 |isbn = 978-1-84453-129-5 }}</ref> Its land straddles the "northwest of the Arabian plate".<ref>Egyptian Journal of Geology – Volume 42, Issue 1 – Page 263, 1998</ref>

Petroleum in commercial quantities was first discovered in the northeast in 1956. The most important oil fields are those of al-Suwaydiyah, Karatchok, Rmelan near [[Place:Al-Hasakah|al-Hasakah]], as well as al-Omar and al-Taym fields near Dayr az–Zawr. The fields are a natural extension of the Iraqi fields of [[Place:Mosul|Mosul]] and [[Place:Kirkuk|Kirkuk]]. Petroleum became Syria's leading natural resource and chief export after 1974. Natural gas was discovered at the field of Jbessa in 1940.<ref name="USDoS" />

===Biodiversity===
Syria contains four terrestrial ecoregions: Syrian xeric grasslands and shrublands, [[Biology:Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests|Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests]], [[Place:Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests|Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests]], and Mesopotamian shrub desert.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> The country had a 2019 [[Earth:Forest Landscape Integrity Index|Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 3.64/10, ranking it 144th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|display-authors=1|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G }}</ref>

== Politics and government ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; float:right; margin-right:9px; margin-right:2px;"
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[File: Bashar al-Assad (2018-05-17) 03.jpg|130px]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[File: Hussein Arnous.jpg|160px]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|Bashar al-Assad<br /><small>[[File:Seal of the President of Syria.svg|20x20px]] President</small>
| style="text-align:center;"|Hussein Arnous<br /><small>[[File:Seal of the Prime Minister of Syria.svg|15x15px]] Prime Minister</small>
|}
Syria is a presidential state<ref>* {{Cite web |date=13 January 2023 |title=Syrian Arab Republic |url=https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/syria/227502 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325011403/https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/syria/227502 |archive-date=25 March 2023 |website=Federal Foreign Office}}
* {{Cite web |title=Syria: Government |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/#government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203054123/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/ |archive-date=3 February 2021 |website=CIA World Factbook}}
* {{Cite web |title=Syria Government |url=https://www.countryreports.org/country/Syria/government.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127053848/https://www.countryreports.org/country/Syria/government.htm |archive-date=27 January 2023}}
* {{Cite web |date=26 February 2021 |title=Syrian Arab Republic: Constitution, 2012 |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/5100f02a2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305071852/https://www.refworld.org/docid/5100f02a2.html |archive-date=5 March 2019 |website=refworld}}</ref> that nominally permits the candidacy of individuals who do not form part of the Ba'ath-controlled National Progressive Front.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Syria: Government |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/#government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203054123/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/ |archive-date=3 February 2021 |website=CIA World Factbook}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=26 February 2021 |title=Syrian Arab Republic: Constitution, 2012 |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/5100f02a2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305071852/https://www.refworld.org/docid/5100f02a2.html |archive-date=5 March 2019 |website=refworld}}</ref> Despite this, Syria remains a one-party state with an extensive secret police apparatus that curtails any independent political activity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freedom in the World 2023: Syria |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/syria/freedom-world/2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309145759/https://freedomhouse.org/country/syria/freedom-world/2023 |archive-date=9 March 2023 |website=[[Organization:Freedom House|Freedom House]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lucas |first=Scott |date=25 February 2021 |title=How Assad Regime Tightened Syria's One-Party Rule |work=EA Worldview |url=https://eaworldview.com/2021/02/how-assad-regime-tightened-syrias-one-party-rule/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225110507/https://eaworldview.com/2021/02/how-assad-regime-tightened-syrias-one-party-rule/ |archive-date=25 February 2021}}</ref> The new constitution introduced single-handedly by the Assad regime, without participation of the Syrian opposition, has bolstered its [[Social:Authoritarianism|authoritarian]] character by bestowing extraordinary powers on the Presidency and a Ba'athist political committee continues to be responsible for authorization of political parties.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Szmolk |first=Inmaculada |title=Political Change in the Middle East and North Africa: After the Arab Spring |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4744-1528 6 |location=Edinburgh, United Kingdom |pages=132–133, 414–417}}</ref> The ruling Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party governs Syria as a [[Philosophy:Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] [[Social:Police state|police state]],<ref>* {{Cite book |last=Khamis, B. Gold, Vaughn |first=Sahar, Paul, Katherine |title=The Oxford Handbook of Propaganda Studies |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-19-976441-9 |editor-last=Auerbach, Castronovo |editor-first=Jonathan, Russ |location=198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 |pages=422 |chapter=22. Propaganda in Egypt and Syria's "Cyberwars": Contexts, Actors, Tools, and Tactics}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wieland |first=Carsten |title=Syria and the Neutrality Trap: The Dilemmas of Delivering Humanitarian Aid Through Violent Regimes |publisher=I. B. Tauris |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-7556-4138-3 |location=50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK |pages=68 |chapter=6: De-neutralizing Aid: All Roads Lead to Damascus}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ahmed |first=Saladdin |title=Totalitarian Space and the Destruction of Aura |publisher=Suny Press |year=2019 |isbn=9781438472911 |location=State University of New York Press, Albany |pages=144, 149}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hensman |first=Rohini |title=Indefensible: Democracy, Counterrevolution, and the Rhetoric of Anti-Imperialism |publisher=Haymarket Books |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-60846-912-3 |location=Chicago, Illinois |chapter=7: The Syrian Uprising}}</ref> through its control of the Syrian military and security apparatus.{{Efn|Sources describing Syria as a totalitarian state:
*{{Cite book |last=Khamis, B. Gold, Vaughn |first=Sahar, Paul, Katherine |title=The Oxford Handbook of Propaganda Studies |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-19-976441-9 |editor-last=Auerbach, Castronovo |editor-first=Jonathan, Russ |location=Madison Avenue, New York, NY |pages=422 |chapter=22. Propaganda in Egypt and Syria's "Cyberwars": Contexts, Actors, Tools, and Tactics}}
*{{Cite book |last=Wieland |first=Carsten |title=Syria and the Neutrality Trap: The Dilemmas of Delivering Humanitarian Aid Through Violent Regimes |publisher=I. B. Tauris |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-7556-4138-3 |location=50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK |pages=68 |chapter=6: De-neutralizing Aid: All Roads Lead to Damascus}}
*{{Cite book |last=Meininghaus |first=Esther |title=Creating Consent in Ba'thist Syria: Women and Welfare in a Totalitarian State |publisher=I. B. Tauris |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78453-115-7 |pages=1–33 |chapter=Introduction}}
*{{Cite book |last1=Sadiki |first1=Larbi |title=Routledge Handbook of the Arab Spring: Rethinking Democratization |last2=Fares |first2=Obaida |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-415-52391-2 |pages=147 |chapter=12: The Arab Spring Comes to Syria: Internal Mobilization for Democratic Change, Militarization and Internationalization}}}} 50th edition of Freedom in the World, the annual report published by [[Organization:Freedom House|Freedom House]] in 2023, designates Syria as "Worst of the Worst" among the "Not Free" countries and gives it the lowest score (1/100) alongside South Sudan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freedom in the World 2023: Syria |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/syria/freedom-world/2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309145759/https://freedomhouse.org/country/syria/freedom-world/2023 |archive-date=9 March 2023 |website=[[Organization:Freedom House|Freedom House]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=March 2023 |title=Freedom in the World: 2023 |url=https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/FIW_World_2023_DigtalPDF.pdf |journal= |chapter= |edition=50th anniversary |pages=31 |via=Freedom House}}</ref>

The President is Head of State and the Prime Minister is Head of Government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/81771718/Qordoba-Translation-of-the-Syrian-Constitution-Modifications-15-2-2012 |title=Constitution of Syria. Articles 83–118 |via=Scribd |date=15 February 2012 |access-date=30 January 2013}}</ref> The legislature, the Peoples Council, is the body responsible for passing laws, approving government [[Social:Appropriation (law)|appropriations]] and debating policy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/81771718/Qordoba-Translation-of-the-Syrian-Constitution-Modifications-15-2-2012 |title=Constitution of Syria. Article 75(1)2)(4) |via=Scribd |date=15 February 2012 |access-date=30 January 2013}}</ref> In the event of a vote of no confidence by a simple majority, the Prime Minister is required to tender the resignation of their government to the President.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/81771718/Qordoba-Translation-of-the-Syrian-Constitution-Modifications-15-2-2012 |title=Constitution of Syria. Article 77(2) |via=Scribd |date=15 February 2012 |access-date=30 January 2013}}</ref>

The executive branch consists of the president, two vice presidents, the prime minister, and the Council of Ministers (cabinet). The constitution requires the president to be a Muslim<ref name="const">{{cite web |url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/sy00000_.html |title=Constitution of Syria |access-date=22 October 2008}}</ref> but does not make Islam the state religion. On 31 January 1973, Hafiz al-Assad implemented a new constitution, which led to a national crisis. Unlike previous constitutions, this one did not require that the President of Syria be a [[Religion:Muslim|Muslim]], leading to fierce demonstrations in Hama, Homs and Aleppo organized by the Muslim Brotherhood and the traditional ''[[Religion:Ulama|ulama]]''. They labelled Assad the "enemy of [[Religion:Allah|Allah]]" and called for a ''[[Religion:Jihad|jihad]]'' against his rule.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Middle Eastern Leaders and Islam: A Precarious Equilibrium|last=Alianak|first=Sonia|publisher=Peter Lang|year=2007|isbn=978-0-8204-6924-9|page=55}}</ref> The government survived a series of armed revolts led mostly by Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood, between 1976 and 1982, through a series of repressions and massacres.

The constitution gives the president the right to appoint ministers, to declare war and [[Social:State of emergency|state of emergency]], to issue laws (which, except in the case of emergency, require ratification by the People's Council), to declare [[Social:Amnesty|amnesty]], to amend the constitution, and to appoint civil servants and military personnel.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/syria/85051.htm |title=Syria (05/07) |publisher=State.gov |access-date=25 October 2008}}</ref> According to the 2012 constitution, the president is elected by Syrian citizens in a direct election.

Syria's legislative branch is the unicameral People's Council. Under the previous constitution, Syria did not hold multi-party elections for the legislature,<ref name="autogenerated1" /> with two-thirds of the seats automatically allocated to the ruling coalition.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=21265 |title=Syria: Elections without Politics |publisher=Carnegie Endowment}}</ref> On 7 May 2012, Syria held its first elections in which parties outside the ruling coalition could take part. Seven new political parties took part in the elections, of which Popular Front for Change and Liberation was the largest opposition party. The anti-government Syrian opposition coalition, however, chose not to field candidates and called on their supporters to boycott the elections. The People's Council primarily serves as an institution to validate Syria's one-party system and re-affirm the legislative proceedings of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath party.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Schlager, Weisblatt |first1=Neil, Jayne |title=World Encyclopedia of Political Systems and Parties |last2=A. Faksh |first2=Mahmud |publisher=Facts on File |year=2006 |isbn=0-8160-5953-5 |edition=4th |location=132 West 31st Street, New York NY 10001, USA |pages=1303 |chapter=Syrian Arab Republic}}</ref> As of 2008, the President is the Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath party in Syria and leader of the National Progressive Front governing coalition. Ethnic minorites like Kurds have no cultural or linguistic rights and activities of Kurdish political parties are banned.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3774055.stm |title=Syria clamps down on Kurd parties |work=BBC News |access-date=22 October 2008 | date=3 June 2004}}</ref>

There is no independent judiciary in Syria, since all judges and prosecutors are required to be Ba'athist appointees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freedom in the World 2023: Syria |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/syria/freedom-world/2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309145759/https://freedomhouse.org/country/syria/freedom-world/2023 |archive-date=9 March 2023 |website=[[Organization:Freedom House|Freedom House]]}}</ref> Syria's judicial branches include the Supreme Constitutional Court, the High Judicial Council, the Court of Cassation, and the State Security Courts. Islamic jurisprudence is a main source of legislation and Syria's judicial system has elements of Ottoman, French, and [[Religion:Sharia|Islamic]] laws. Syria has three levels of courts: courts of first instance, courts of appeals, and the constitutional court, the highest tribunal. Religious courts handle questions of personal and family law.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> The Supreme State Security Court (SSSC) was abolished by President Bashar al-Assad by legislative decree No. 53 on 21 April 2011.<ref name="decree53">{{cite news|url=http://sana.sy/eng/21/2011/04/22/pr-342711.htm |title=Decrees on Ending State of Emergency, Abolishing SSSC, Regulating Right to Peaceful Demonstration |agency=Syrian Arab News Agency |date=22 April 2011 |access-date=30 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328221640/http://sana.sy/eng/21/2011/04/22/pr-342711.htm |archive-date=28 March 2012 }}</ref>

The Personal Status Law 59 of 1953 (amended by Law 34 of 1975) is essentially a codified sharia.<ref>{{cite web|title=Syria|url=http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/Syria_APS.doc|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|page=13}}</ref> Article 3(2) of the 1973 constitution declares Islamic jurisprudence a main source of legislation. The Code of Personal Status is applied to Muslims by sharia courts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.law.emory.edu/ifl/legal/syria.htm |title=Syria (Syrian Arab Republic) |publisher=Law.emory.edu |access-date=18 February 2013}}</ref>

As a result of the ongoing civil war, various alternative governments were formed, including the Syrian Interim Government, the Democratic Union Party and localized regions governed by sharia law. Representatives of the Syrian Interim government were invited to take up Syria's seat at the Arab League on 28 March 2013 and<ref name=guardian.co.uk>{{cite news|last=Black|first=Ian|title=Syrian opposition takes Arab League seat|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/26/syrian-opposition-appeals-nato-support|newspaper=The Guardian|date=26 March 2013}}</ref> was recognised as the "sole representative of the Syrian people" by several nations including the United States, United Kingdom and France.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20406562 |title=Syria conflict: UK recognises opposition, says William Hague |publisher=BBC |date=20 November 2012 |access-date=28 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="bbc">{{cite web|author=Hugh Schofield |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20319787 |title=Syria: France backs anti-Assad coalition |publisher=BBC |date=13 November 2012 |access-date=28 August 2013}}</ref><ref name=usatoday.com>{{cite news|last=Madhani|first=Aamer|title=Obama says U.S. will recognize Syrian opposition|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/12/11/al-nusra-designated-terrorists/1760755/|newspaper=USA Today|date=12 December 2012}}</ref>

Syria's elections are conducted through a sham process; characterised by wide-scale rigging, repetitive voting and absence of [[Social:Voter registration|voter registration]] and verification systems.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shaar, Akil |first=Karam, Samy |date=28 January 2021 |title=Inside Syria's Clapping Chamber: Dynamics of the 2020 Parliamentary Elections |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/inside-syrias-clapping-chamber-dynamics-2020-parliamentary-elections#footnote-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128162146/https://www.mei.edu/publications/inside-syrias-clapping-chamber-dynamics-2020-parliamentary-elections |archive-date=28 January 2021 |website=Middle East Institute}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Awad, Favier |first=Ziad, Agnès |date=30 April 2020 |title=Elections in Wartime: The Syrian People's Council (2016–2020) |url=https://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/66949/RPR_2020_07.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |journal= |publisher=European University Institute |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129205045/https://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/66949/RPR_2020_07.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |archive-date=29 January 2021 |via=cadmus.eui.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Abdel Nour |first=Aymen |date=24 July 2020 |title=Syria's 2020 parliamentary elections: The worst joke yet |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/syrias-2020-parliamentary-elections-worst-joke-yet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128170936/https://www.mei.edu/publications/syrias-2020-parliamentary-elections-worst-joke-yet |archive-date=28 January 2021 |website=Middle East Institute}}</ref> Parliamentary elections were held on 13 April 2016 in the government-controlled areas of Syria, for all 250 seats of Syria's unicameral legislature, the Majlis al-Sha'ab, or the People's Council of Syria.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gr.euronews.com/2016/04/13/syrian-parliamentary-elections-take-place-to-the-backdrop-of-fighting-in-aleppo/|title=Συρία: Βουλευτικές εκλογές για την διαπραγματευτική ενίσχυση Άσαντ|first=Γιώργος|last=Αϊβαλιώτης|date=13 April 2016|work=euronews.com}}</ref> Even before results had been announced, several nations, including Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, have declared their refusal to accept the results, largely citing it "not representing the will of the Syrian people."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.efsyn.gr/arthro/ekloges-sti-syria-eno-i-empolemi-katastasi-paramenei|title=Εκλογές στη Συρία, ενώ η εμπόλεμη κατάσταση παραμένει|date=13 April 2016|work=efsyn.gr|access-date=15 April 2016|archive-date=16 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416044401/http://www.efsyn.gr/arthro/ekloges-sti-syria-eno-i-empolemi-katastasi-paramenei|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, representatives of the Russian Federation have voiced their support of this election's results. Various independent observers and international organizations have denounced the Assad regime's electoral conduct as a scam; with the United Nations condemning it as illegitimate elections with “no mandate”.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kossaify |first=Ephrem |date=22 April 2021 |title=UN reiterates it is not involved in Syrian presidential election |work=Arab News |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1846771/%7B%7B |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422181511/https://www.arabnews.com/node/1846771/middle-east |archive-date=22 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cheeseman |first=Nicholas |title=How to Rig an Election |date=2019 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-24665-0 |pages=140–141 |oclc=1089560229}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Norris |first1=Pippa |last2=Martinez i Coma |first2=Ferran |last3=Grömping |first3=Max |date=2015 |title=The Year in Elections, 2014 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/electoralintegrityproject4/projects/expert-survey-2/the-year-in-elections-2015 |journal=Election Integrity Project |language=en |quote=The Syrian election ranked as worst among all the contests held during 2014. |access-date=12 May 2023 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415091339/https://sites.google.com/site/electoralintegrityproject4/projects/expert-survey-2/the-year-in-elections-2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Abdel Nour |first=Aymen |date=24 July 2020 |title=Syria's 2020 parliamentary elections: The worst joke yet |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/syrias-2020-parliamentary-elections-worst-joke-yet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128170936/https://www.mei.edu/publications/syrias-2020-parliamentary-elections-worst-joke-yet |archive-date=28 January 2021 |website=Middle East Institute}}</ref> [[Social:Electoral Integrity Project|Electoral Integrity Project]]'s 2022 Global report designates Syrian elections as a "facade" with the worst electoral integrity in the world alongside Comoros and Central African Republic.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 2022 |title=Electoral Integrity Global Report 2019-2021 |url=https://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/globalreport2019-2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209095338/https://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/globalreport2019-2021 |archive-date=9 December 2022 |website=Electoral Integrity Project}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Garnett, S. James, MacGregor |first=Holly Ann, Toby, Madison . |date=May 2022 |title=2022. Year in Elections Global Report: 2019-2021. The Electoral Integrity Project. |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58533f31bebafbe99c85dc9b/t/62bb1188ea129d15fd58abac/1656426896778/Electoral+Integrity+Global+Report+2019-2021+0.1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722201335/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58533f31bebafbe99c85dc9b/t/62bb1188ea129d15fd58abac/1656426896778/Electoral+Integrity+Global+Report+2019-2021+0.1.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2022 |publisher=University of East Anglia|website=Electoral Integrity Project}}</ref>

Three alternative governments formed during the Syrian Civil War, the Syrian Interim Government (formed in 2013), [[Place:Rojava|Rojava]] (formed in 2016) and the Syrian Salvation Government (formed in 2017), control northern  of the country and operate independently of the Syrian Arab Republic.

=== Military ===
[[File:VOA Arrott - A View of Syria, Under Government Crackdown 08.jpg|thumb|right|A Syrian Army soldier manning a checkpoint outside of Damascus shortly after the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, 2012]]

The President of Syria is commander in chief of the Syrian armed forces, comprising some 400,000 troops upon mobilization. The military is a conscripted force; males serve in the military upon reaching the age of 18.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} The obligatory military service period is being decreased over time, in 2005 from two and a half years to two years, in 2008 to 21 months and in 2011 to year and a half.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/xinhua/2011-03-20/content_2068776.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503190742/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/xinhua/2011-03-20/content_2068776.html|archive-date=3 May 2011 |title=Syria reduces compulsory military service by three months |work=China Daily |date=20 March 2011 |access-date=23 April 2011}}</ref> About 20,000 Syrian soldiers were deployed in Lebanon until 27 April 2005, when the last of Syria's troops left the country after three decades.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

The breakup of the Soviet Union—long the principal source of training, material, and credit for the Syrian forces—may have slowed Syria's ability to acquire modern military equipment. It has an arsenal of surface-to-surface missiles. In the early 1990s, [[Engineering:Scud|Scud]]-C missiles with a {{convert|500|km|adj=on|abbr=off}} range were procured from North Korea, and Scud-D, with a range of up to {{convert|700|km|abbr=off}}, is allegedly being developed by Syria with the help of North Korea and [[Religion:Iran|Iran]], according to Zisser.<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v4/sub/MarketingPage?user_URL=https://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2FArticleNews%2FTPStory%2FLAC%2F20040928%2FCOSYRIA28%2FTPComment%2FTopStories&ord=2674524&brand=theglobeandmail&redirect_reason=2&denial_reasons=none&force_login=false "Syria's embrace of WMD"]{{dead link|date=March 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} by Eyal Zisser, ''The Globe and Mail'', 28 September 2004 (link leads only to abstract; purchase necessary for full article). {{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v4/sub/MarketingPage?user_URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2FArticleNews%2FTPStory%2FLAC%2F20040928%2FCOSYRIA28%2FTPComment%2FTopStories&ord=2674524&brand=theglobeandmail&redirect_reason=2&denial_reasons=none&force_login=false |title=Syria's embrace of WMD |author= EYAL ZISSER |date=September 28, 2004 |page= A21 |website=The Globe and Mail  |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116184238/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v4/sub/MarketingPage?user_URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2FArticleNews%2FTPStory%2FLAC%2F20040928%2FCOSYRIA28%2FTPComment%2FTopStories&ord=2674524&brand=theglobeandmail&redirect_reason=2&denial_reasons=none&force_login=false |archive-date=16 January 2009}}</ref>

Syria received significant financial aid from Arab states of the Persian Gulf as a result of its participation in the Persian Gulf War, with a sizable portion of these funds earmarked for military spending.

=== Foreign relations ===
[[File:Diplomatic relations of Syria.svg|thumb|Diplomatic missions of Syria]]
Ensuring national security, increasing influence among its Arab neighbors, and securing the return of the [[Place:Golan Heights|Golan Heights]], have been the primary goals of Syria's foreign policy. At many points in its history, Syria has seen virulent tension with its geographically cultural neighbors, such as Turkey, Israel, Iraq, and Lebanon. Syria enjoyed an improvement in relations with several of the states in its region in the 21st century, prior to the [[Social:Arab Spring|Arab Spring]] and the Syrian Civil War.

Since the ongoing civil war of 2011, and associated killings and human rights abuses, Syria has been increasingly isolated from the countries in the region, and the wider international community. Diplomatic relations have been severed with several countries including: Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, the United States, Belgium, Spain, and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.<ref>{{cite web|last=Strenger |first=Carlo |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/assad-takes-a-page-out-of-russia-s-book-in-his-war-against-rebels-1.411789 |title=Assad takes a page out of Russia's book in his war against rebels|work=Haaretz |date=8 February 2012 |access-date=15 January 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Syria military involvement.svg|thumb|upright=1.15|Map of world and Syria (red) with military involvement.{{legend|red|Countries that support the Syrian government}}{{legend|blue|Countries that support the Syrian rebels}}]]

From the Arab league, Syria continues to maintain diplomatic relations with Algeria, [[Place:Egypt|Egypt]], Iraq, [[Place:Lebanon|Lebanon]], Sudan and Yemen. Syria's violence against civilians has also seen it suspended from the Arab League and the [[Organization:Organisation of Islamic Cooperation|Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]] in 2012.<ref name="NYT Arab League">{{cite news |last=MacFarquhar |first=Neil |date=12 November 2011 |title=Arab League Votes to Suspend Syria |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/world/middleeast/arab-league-votes-to-suspend-syria-over-its-crackdown-on-protesters.html |access-date=12 November 2011}}</ref> Syria also quit the Union for the Mediterranean.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 December 2012 |title=Syria suspends its membership in Mediterranean union |publisher=Xinhua News Agency |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-12/01/c_131282989.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206201635/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-12/01/c_131282989.htm |archive-date=6 December 2011}}</ref> After 11 years, the Arab League readmitted Syria.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 May 2023 |title=Arab League brings Syria back into its fold after 12 years |work=Al Jazeera |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/7/arab-league-agrees-to-bring-syria-back-into-its-fold |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507172435/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/7/arab-league-agrees-to-bring-syria-back-into-its-fold |archive-date=7 May 2023}}</ref> Syria continues to foster good relations with its traditional allies, Iran and Russia, who are among the few countries which have supported the Syrian government in its conflict with the Syrian opposition.

Syria is included in the European Union's European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which aims at bringing the EU and its neighbors closer.

==== International disputes ====
In 1939, while Syria was still a French mandate the French allowed a plebiscite regarding the Sanjak of Alexandretta joining to [[Place:Turkey|Turkey]] as part of a treaty of friendship in World War II. In order to facilitate this, a faulty election was done in which ethnic Turks who were originally from the Sanjak but lived in Adana and other areas near the border in Turkey came to vote in the elections, shifting the election in favor of secession. Through this, the [[Place:Hatay Province|Hatay Province]] of Turkey was formed. The move by the French was very controversial in Syria, and only five years later Syria became independent.<ref name="Morris9">{{cite book|chapter=Chapter 9: Crossroads|author=Morris, Chris|title=The New Turkey|publisher=Granta Books|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newturkeyquietre0000morr_l7s3/page/203 203–227]|location=London|year=2005|isbn=978-1-86207-865-9|title-link=The New Turkey|author-link=Chris Morris (journalist)}}</ref> Despite the Turkish annexation of the Sanjak of Alexandretta, the Syrian government has refused to recognize Turkish sovereignty over the region since Independence, except for a short period during 1949.<ref name="AlexandrettaTurkeyRelations">{{cite journal |last1=Sanjian |first1=Avedis K. |title=The Sanjak of Alexandretta (Hatay): Its Impact on Turkish-Syrian Relations (1939–1956) |journal=The Middle East Journal |date=1956 |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=379–394 |jstor=4322848 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4322848 |access-date=22 December 2022}}</ref>

The western two-thirds of Syria's [[Place:Golan Heights|Golan Heights]] region are since 1967 [[Place:Israeli-occupied territories|occupied by Israel]] and were in 1981 effectively annexed by [[Place:Israel|Israel]],<ref name=occupiedSyrian>* "The international community maintains that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void and without international legal effect." {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DqIv03qWPc0C|title=The situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories|author=International Labour Office|edition=International government publication|publisher=International Labour Office|year=2009|isbn=978-92-2-120630-9|page=23}}. * "...occupied Syrian Golan Heights..." ([http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/league/peace02.htm The Arab Peace Initiative, 2002] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604091304/http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/league/peace02.htm |date=4 June 2009 }}, ''www.al-bab.com''. Retrieved 1 August 2010.)
* In 2008, a plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly voted by 161–1 in favor of a motion on the "occupied Syrian Golan" that reaffirmed support for UN Resolution 497. ([https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/ga10794.doc.htm General Assembly adopts broad range of texts, 26 in all, on recommendation of its fourth Committee, including on decolonization, information, Palestine refugees], United Nations, 5 December 2008.)
*"the Syrian Golan Heights territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967". Also, "the Golan Heights, a 450-square mile portion of southwestern Syria that Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war." ([https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/62681.pdf CRS Issue Brief for Congress: Syria: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues], Congressional Research Service. 19 January 2006)</ref><ref name=InternationalCommunityOccupiedTerritory>Occupied territory:
* "Israeli-occupied Golan Heights" (Central Intelligence Agency. [https://books.google.com/books?id=pqanFyF6nI0C&pg=PA339 CIA World Factbook 2010], Skyhorse Publishing Inc., 2009. p. 339. {{ISBN|1-60239-727-9}}.)
* "...the United States considers the Golan Heights to be occupied territory subject to negotiation and Israeli withdrawal..." ([https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/9570.pdf "CRS Issue Brief for Congress: Israeli-United States Relations"], Congressional Research Service, 5 April 2002. pg. 5. Retrieved 1 August 2010.)
* "Occupied Golan Heights" ([http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/israel-occupied Travel advice: Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720052803/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/israel-occupied |date=20 July 2009 }}, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 1 August 2010.)
* "In the ICRC's view, the Golan is an occupied territory." ([http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/israel-golan-311207?OpenDocument&style=custo_print ICRC activities in the occupied Golan during 2007], International Committee of the Red Cross, 24 April 2008.)</ref> whereas the eastern third is controlled by Syria, with the UNDOF maintaining a buffer zone in between, to implement the ceasefire of the Purple Line. Israel's 1981 Golan annexation law is not recognized in international law. The UN Security Council condemned it in Resolution 497 (1981) as "null and void and without international legal effect." Since then, General Assembly resolutions on "The Occupied Syrian Golan" reaffirm the illegality of Israeli occupation and annexation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-12 |title=About Us – Al-Marsad – المرصد |url=https://golan-marsad.org/about-us/#background |access-date=2023-01-19 |language=en-US}}</ref> The Syrian government continues to demand the return of this territory.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Resolving the Future of the Occupied Syrian Golan |url=https://www.odu.edu/content/dam/odu/offices/mun/2017/ib-2017-fourth-golan.pdf |journal=Old Dominion University Model United Nations}}</ref> The only remaining land Syria has in the Golan is a strip of territory which contains the abandoned city of Quneitra, the governorate's de facto capital Madinat al-Baath and many small villages, mostly populated by Circassians such as Beer Ajam and Hader.{{dubious|date=April 2018}} In March 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the {{wipe|United States}} will recognize Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights.<ref>{{cite news |title='The jungle is back.' With his Golan Heights tweet, Trump emboldens the annexation agendas of the world's strongmen |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-the-jungle-is-back-with-his-golan-heights-tweet-trump-will/ |work=The Globe and Mail |date=22 March 2019}}</ref>
[[File:Golan heights border.jpg|thumb|The Syrian Golan Heights occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War]]
In early 1976, Syria entered Lebanon, beginning their twenty-nine-year military presence. Syria entered on the invitation of Suleiman Franjieh, the Maronite Christian president at the time to help aid the Lebanese Christian militias against the Palestinian militias.<ref name="St. Petersburg Times">{{cite news |title=Political foe of Syrians wounded on Beirut street |url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/#ymd=1976-11-12&query=syria+lebanon&p_place=FL&oquery=syria+lebanon++November+12%2C+1976 |access-date=17 March 2020 |agency=St. Petersburg Times |publisher=Tampa Bay Times (previously named the St. Petersburg Times through 2011) |date=12 November 1976}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Syria's role in Lebanon |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/focus/lebanon/2007/07/200852517306599517.html |publisher=Al Jazeera |access-date=11 August 2020}}</ref> Over the following 15 years of civil war, Syria fought for control over Lebanon. The Syrian military remained in Lebanon until 26 April 2005 in response to domestic and international pressure after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |title=Syrian troops leave Lebanese soil |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4484325.stm |website=BBC News |date=26 April 2005 |publisher=BBC |access-date=11 August 2020}}</ref>

Another disputed territory is the Shebaa farms, located in the intersection of the Lebanese-Syrian border and the Israeli occupied Golan Heights. The farms, which are 11&nbsp;km long and about 3 kilometers wide were occupied by Israel in 1981, along with rest of the Golan Heights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5281178.stm |title=Israeli views on Shebaa Farms harden|date=25 August 2006|work=BBC News}}</ref> Yet following Syrian army advances the Israeli occupation ended and Syria became the de facto ruling power over the farms. Yet after Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah claimed that the withdrawal was not complete because Shebaa was on Lebanese – not Syrian – territory.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3289532,00.html|title=Shebaa Farms – nub of conflict|date=8 October 2006|work=Ynetnews|last1=Berman|first1=Yaniv|last2=Line|first2=Media}}</ref> After studying 81 different maps, the United Nations concluded that there is no evidence of the abandoned farmlands being Lebanese.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Har-Dov-withdrawal-not-on-the-table|title=Har Dov withdrawal not on the table|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=26 July 2006 }}</ref> Nevertheless, Lebanon has continued to claim ownership of the territory.

=== Human rights ===
[[File:Wounded civilians arrive at hospital Aleppo.jpg|thumb|Wounded civilians arrive at a hospital in Aleppo, October 2012]]
The situation for human rights in Syria has long been a significant concern among independent organizations such as Human Rights Watch, who in 2010 referred to the country's record as "among the worst in the world."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-rights-idUSTRE70N5S620110124 |title=Syria among worst for rights abuses: HRW report |date=24 January 2011 |work=Reuters }}</ref> The 2011 [[Organization:Freedom House|Freedom House]] report<ref name="debate">{{cite news|title=Bush enters debate on freedom in Iran|url=https://www.ft.com/content/364cda0e-c016-11da-939f-0000779e2340|author=Guy Dinmore|date=31 March 2006|work=Financial Times|access-date=6 April 2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311050710/https://www.ft.com/content/364cda0e-c016-11da-939f-0000779e2340|archive-date=11 March 2018}}{{subscription required}}</ref> ranked Syria "Not Free" in its annual Freedom in the World survey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=363&year=2011&country=8143|title=Freedom in the World Report: Syria|date=January 2011|access-date=22 August 2011|archive-date=23 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223011741/http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=363&year=2011&country=8143|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The authorities are accused of arresting democracy and human rights activists, [[Social:Censorship|censoring]] websites, detaining bloggers, and imposing travel bans. Arbitrary detention, [[Philosophy:Torture|torture]], and disappearances are widespread.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 November 2022 |title=Syria: Families of 'Disappeared' Deserve Answers |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/11/30/syria-families-disappeared-deserve-answers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201233504/https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/11/30/syria-families-disappeared-deserve-answers |archive-date=1 February 2023 |website=Human Rights Watch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 August 2022 |title=A/76/890: Missing people in the Syrian Arab Republic — Report of the Secretary-General |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/reports/a76890-missing-people-syrian-arab-republic-report-secretary-general |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105143530/https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/reports/a76890-missing-people-syrian-arab-republic-report-secretary-general |archive-date=5 January 2023 |website=United Nations-OHCHR}}</ref><ref name="hrw.org">{{cite book|title=Syria: Events of 2008|date=13 January 2009|url=https://www.hrw.org/en/node/79303|publisher=Human Rights Watch}}</ref> Although Syria's constitution guarantees gender equality, critics say that personal statutes laws and the penal code discriminate against women and girls. Moreover, it also grants leniency for so-called 'Honour killing'.<ref name="hrw.org" /> As of 9 November 2011 during the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, the United Nations reported that of the over 3500 total deaths, over 250 deaths were children as young as two years old, and that boys as young as 11 years old have been gang-raped by security services officers.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203935604577066623669457632 |title=More than 250 children among dead, U.N. says |author=Joe Lauria |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=29 November 2011 |access-date=29 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/28/world/meast/syria-un-report/index.html |title=UN report: Syrian forces commit 'gross violations' of human rights, CNN |date=29 November 2011}}</ref> People opposing President Assad's rule claim that more than 200, mostly civilians, were massacred and about 300 injured in Hama in shelling by the Government forces on 12 July 2012.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3634445.ece| title= 200 massacred in Hama, claim Syrian activists | date= 13 July 2012}}</ref>

In August 2013, the government was suspected of using chemical weapons against its civilians. US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was "undeniable" that chemical weapons had been used in the country and that President Bashar al-Assad's forces had committed a "moral obscenity" against his own people. "Make no mistake," Kerry said. "President Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapon against the world's most vulnerable people. Nothing today is more serious, and nothing is receiving more serious scrutiny".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/26/syria-us-un-inspection-kerry |title=Iran warns west against military intervention in Syria|work=The Guardian |date=27 August 2013|access-date=28 August 2013}}</ref>

The Emergency Law, effectively suspending most constitutional protections, was in effect from 1963 until 21 April 2011.<ref name="decree53" /> It was justified by the government in the light of the continuing war with Israel over the Golan Heights.

In August 2014, UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay criticized the international community over its "paralysis" in dealing with the more than 3-year-old civil war gripping the country, which by 30 April 2014, had resulted in 191,369 deaths with war crimes, according to Pillay, being committed with total impunity on all sides in the conflict. Minority Alawites and Christians are being increasingly targeted by Islamists and other groups fighting in the Syrian civil war.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/world/middleeast/christians-squeezed-out-by-violent-struggle-in-north-syria.html?pagewanted=all | title=Christians Squeezed Out by Violent Struggle in North Syria | date=13 February 2013 | author=Güsten, Susanne | work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Syria: Sunnis Threatening to Massacre Minority Alawites|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151013|publisher=Arutz Sheva|date=23 December 2011|first=Elad|last=Behari}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=5 January 2023 |title=Syria: Chemical weapons pose unacceptable threat, and are a 'danger to us all' |work=UN News |url=https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15276.doc.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218181235/https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132182 |archive-date=18 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=8 May 2023 |title=Syria's Chemical Weapons Declaration Remains Incomplete, Disarmament Chief Tells Security Council |url=https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15276.doc.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511180420/https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15276.doc.htm |archive-date=11 May 2023}}</ref>

In April 2017, the U.S. Navy carried out a missile attack against a Syrian air base<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/06/us-launches-missiles-into-syria-in-response-to-chemical-weapons-attack.html|title=US launches missiles into Syria in response to chemical weapons attack|first=Jennifer|last=Griffin|publisher=Fox News|date=6 April 2017}}</ref> which had allegedly been used to conduct a chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians, according to the US government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/turkish-autopsies-confirm-chemical-weapons-used-in-syria-attack-that-killed-scores/2017/04/06/4d660ac4-1aa7-11e7-8003-f55b4c1cfae2_story.html|title=Deadly nerve agent sarin used in Syria attack, Turkish Health Ministry says|first=Louisa|last=Loveluck|date=6 April 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

In November 2021, the US Central Command called a 2019 airstrike that killed civilians in Syria "legitimate". The acknowledgement came after a New York Times investigation said the military had concealed the death of dozens of non-combatants.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-15 |title=US claims 2019 Syria airstrike investigated by NY Times 'legitimate' |url=https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20211115-us-claims-2019-syria-airstrike-investigated-by-ny-times-legitimate |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
Syria is divided into 14 governorates, which are sub-divided into 61 districts, which are further divided into sub-districts. The [[Place:Democratic Federation of Northern Syria|Democratic Federation of Northern Syria]], while de facto autonomous, is not recognized by the country as such.

{| border="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
! || No. || Governorate || Capital
|-
| rowspan="15" |[[File:Syria, administrative divisions - Nmbrs - colored.svg|thumb|upright=2|Governorates of Syria]]
|-
| 1 || Latakia || Latakia
|-
| 2 || Idlib || Idlib
|-
| 3 || Aleppo || Aleppo
|-
| 4 || [[Place:Raqqa Governorate|Raqqa]] || [[Place:Raqqa|Raqqa]]
|-
| 5 || [[Place:Al-Hasakah Governorate|Al-Hasakah]] || [[Place:Al-Hasakah|Al-Hasakah]]
|-
| 6 || Tartus || Tartus
|-
| 7 || Hama || Hama
|-
| 8 || [[Place:Deir ez-Zor Governorate|Deir ez-Zor]] || Deir ez-Zor
|-
| 9 || Homs || Homs
|-
| 10 || Damascus || [[Place:Damascus|Damascus]]
|-
| 11 || Rif Dimashq || Douma
|-
| 12 || Quneitra || Quneitra
|-
| 13 || Daraa || Daraa
|-
| 14 || Al-Suwayda || Al-Suwayda
|}

====Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria====
The [[Place:Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria|Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria]] (AANES), also known as Rojava,{{efn|The name "Rojava" ("The West") was initially used by the region's PYD-led government, before its usage was dropped in 2016.{{sfnp|Lister|2015|p=154}}{{sfnp|Allsopp|van Wilgenburg|2019|p=89}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/51940fb9-3aff-4e51-bcf8-b1629af00299/-Rojava--no-longer-exists---Northern-Syria--adopted-instead-|title='Rojava' no longer exists, 'Northern Syria' adopted instead|website=Kurdistan24}}</ref> Since then, the name is still used by locals and international observers.}} is a de facto autonomous region in northeastern Syria.{{sfnp|Allsopp|van Wilgenburg|2019|pp=11, 95}}{{sfnp|Zabad|2017|pp=219, 228}} It consists of self-governing sub-regions in the areas of Afrin, Jazira, Euphrates, [[Place:Raqqa|Raqqa]], Tabqa, Manbij and [[Place:Deir ez-Zor Governorate|Deir Ez-Zor]].{{sfnp|Allsopp|van Wilgenburg|2019|pp=97–98}}<ref name="Second conference of Shahba region">{{cite web|url=http://cantonafrin.com/en/news/view/1658.a-delegation-from-the-democratic-administration-of-self-participate-in-the-second-conference-of-the-el--shahba-region.html|title=Delegation from the Democratic administration of Self-participate of self-participate in the first and second conference of the Shaba region|date=4 February 2016|publisher=Cantonafrin.com|access-date=12 June 2016|archive-date=9 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809175326/http://cantonafrin.com/en/news/view/1658.a-delegation-from-the-democratic-administration-of-self-participate-in-the-second-conference-of-the-el--shahba-region.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The region gained its de facto autonomy in 2012 in the context of the ongoing [[Religion:Rojava conflict|Rojava conflict]] and the wider Syrian civil war, in which its official military force, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has taken part.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49973218|title=Turkey's Syria offensive explained in four maps|date=14 October 2019|work=BBC News|access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Syria Kurds adopt constitution for autonomous federal region|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/12/30/syria-kurds-adopt-constitution-for-autonomous-federal-region|access-date=5 October 2018|publisher=TheNewArab|date=31 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005194832/https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/12/30/syria-kurds-adopt-constitution-for-autonomous-federal-region|archive-date=5 October 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

While entertaining some foreign relations, the region is not officially recognized as autonomous by the government of Syria or any state<ref name=russia-mediates>{{cite news|title=Syria's war: Assad on the offensive|url=https://www.economist.com/news/21690203-city-was-once-syrias-largest-faces-siege-assadu2019s-grip-tightens|access-date=1 May 2016|newspaper=[[Finance:The Economist|The Economist]]|date=13 February 2016}}</ref> though it has been recognized by the regional Catalan Parliament.<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 October 2021|title=Umar: Catalonian recognition of AANES is the beginning|url=http://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/umar-catalonian-recognition-of-aanes-is-the-beginning-h27342.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-27|website=Hawar News Agency|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026094527/https://hawarnews.com/en/haber/umar-catalonian-recognition-of-aanes-is-the-beginning-h27342.html |archive-date=26 October 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=van Wilgenburg|first=Wladimir|date=21 October 2021|title=Catalan parliament recognizes administration in northeast Syria|url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/25991-Catalan-parliament-recognizes-administration-in-northeast-Syria|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-27|website=Kurdistan24|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021074228/https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/25991-Catalan-parliament-recognizes-administration-in-northeast-Syria |archive-date=21 October 2021 }}</ref> The AANES has widespread support for its universal [[Social:Democracy|democratic]], sustainable, autonomous [[Philosophy:Pluralism (political philosophy)|pluralist]], [[Social:Equality before the law|equal]], and feminist policies in dialogues with other parties and organizations.<ref name="tandfonline.com">{{Cite journal|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14650045.2018.1554564|doi=10.1080/14650045.2018.1554564 |title=Beyond Orientalism: Exploring the Distinctive Feminism of democratic confederalism in Rojava |year=2018 |last1=Shahvisi |first1=Arianne |journal=Geopolitics |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=1–25|s2cid=149972015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://anfenglish.com/news/german-mp-jelpke-rojava-needs-help-against-corona-pandemic-42546|title=German MP Jelpke: Rojava needs help against Corona pandemic|website=ANF News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title=Gender Revolution in Rojava: The Voices beyond Tabloid Geopolitics|first1=Bahar|last1=Şimşek|first2=Joost|last2=Jongerden|date=29 October 2018|journal=Geopolitics|volume=26|issue=4|pages=1023–1045|doi=10.1080/14650045.2018.1531283|doi-access=free|hdl=1887/87090|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Burç|first=Rosa|date=22 May 2020|title=Non-territorial autonomy and gender equality: The case of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria - Rojava|url=http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0353-5738/2020/0353-57382003319B.pdf|journal=Philosophy and Society|volume=31|issue=3|pages=277–448|doi=10.2298/FID2003319B|s2cid=226412887}}</ref> Northeastern Syria is [[Social:Polyethnicity|polyethnic]] and home to sizeable ethnic Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian populations, with smaller communities of ethnic Turkmen, Armenians, Circassians,<ref>{{cite book |last=Gammer |first=Moshe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5CVBWjMAtLEC |title=The Caspian Region: The Caucasus |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-203-00512-5 |volume=2 |page=64}}</ref> and [[Unsolved:Yazidis|Yazidis]].{{sfnp|Allsopp|van Wilgenburg|2019|pp=xviii, 112}}{{sfnp|Zabad|2017|pp=219, 228–229}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Schmidinger|first=Thomas|title=The Battle for the Mountain of the Kurds|publisher=PM Press, Kairos|year=2019|isbn=978-1-62963-651-1|location=Oakland, CA|pages=12|translator-last=Schiffmann|translator-first=Thomas|quote=Afrin was the home to the largest Ezidi minority in Syria.}}</ref>

The supporters of the region's administration state that it is an officially [[Philosophy:Secularism|secular]] polity{{sfnp|Allsopp|van Wilgenburg|2019|pp=xviii, 66, 200}}<ref name="marriage">{{cite web|date=20 February 2016|title=Syria Kurds challenging traditions, promote civil marriage|url=http://aranews.net/2016/02/syria-kurds-challenging-traditions-promote-civil-marriage/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222111444/http://aranews.net/2016/02/syria-kurds-challenging-traditions-promote-civil-marriage/|archive-date=22 February 2016|access-date=23 August 2016|publisher=ARA News}}</ref> with [[Philosophy:Direct democracy|direct democratic]] ambitions based on an [[Social:Anarchism|anarchistic]], [[Social:Feminism|feminist]], and [[Earth:Democratic confederalism|libertarian socialist ideology]] promoting [[Social:Decentralization|decentralization]], [[Social:Gender equality|gender equality]],{{sfnp|Zabad|2017|p=219}}{{sfnp|Allsopp|van Wilgenburg|2019|pp=156–163}} environmental [[Earth:Sustainability|sustainability]], social [[Earth:Ecology|ecology]] and pluralistic tolerance for religious, cultural and political [[Social:Diversity (politics)|diversity]], and that these values are mirrored in its constitution, society, and politics, stating it to be a model for a federalized Syria as a whole, rather than outright independence.<ref>{{cite news|title=PYD leader: SDF operation for Raqqa countryside in progress, Syria can only be secular|url=http://aranews.net/2016/05/poyd-leader-current-sdf-operation-recapture-northern-countryside-raqqa-not-city/|access-date=8 October 2016|publisher=ARA News|date=28 May 2016|archive-date=1 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001094203/http://aranews.net/2016/05/poyd-leader-current-sdf-operation-recapture-northern-countryside-raqqa-not-city/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="utopia">{{cite news|last=Ross|first=Carne|date=30 September 2015|title=The Kurds' Democratic Experiment|work={{wipe|The New York Times}}|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/opinion/the-kurds-democratic-experiment.html|access-date=20 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=In der Maur|first1=Renée|last2=Staal|first2=Jonas|title=Stateless Democracy|date=2015|publisher=BAK|location=Utrecht|isbn=978-90-77288-22-1|page=19|url=http://newworldsummit.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/NWA5-Stateless-Democracy1.pdf|chapter=Introduction|access-date=19 April 2016|archive-date=25 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025095239/http://newworldsummit.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/NWA5-Stateless-Democracy1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Jongerden>{{cite web|url=http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/12/turkey4358b.pdf|title=Rethinking Politics and Democracy in the Middle East|last=Jongerden|first=Joost|date=6 December 2012|publisher=Ekurd.net|access-date=9 October 2016|archive-date=15 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315143043/http://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/12/turkey4358b.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The region's administration has also been accused by some partisan and non-partisan sources of [[Social:Authoritarianism|authoritarianism]], support of the Syrian government,{{sfnp|Allsopp|van Wilgenburg|2019|pp=94, 130–131, 184}} [[Social:Kurdification|Kurdification]], and displacement.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} However, despite this the AANES has been the most [[Philosophy:Direct democracy|democratic]] system in Syria, with direct open elections, [[Social:Social equality|universal equality]], respecting [[Philosophy:Human rights|human rights]] within the region, as well as defense of minority and religious rights within Syria.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Knapp |first1=Michael |last2=Jongerden |first2=Joost |date=2014 |title=Communal Democracy: The Social Contract and Confederalism in Rojava |url=https://journal.equinoxpub.com/CIS/article/view/9744 |journal=Comparative Islamic Studies |language=en |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=87–109 |doi=10.1558/cis.29642 |issn=1743-1638}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/south-atlantic-quarterly/article-abstract/115/1/184/3804/The-Rojava-Experience-Possibilities-and-Challenges|title=The Rojava Experience: Possibilities and Challenges of Building a Democratic Life|first1=Bülent|last1=Küçük|first2=Ceren|last2=Özselçuk|date=1 January 2016|journal=South Atlantic Quarterly|volume=115|issue=1|pages=184–196|via=read.dukeupress.edu|doi=10.1215/00382876-3425013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Barkhoda |first=Dalir |title=The Experiment of the Rojava System in Grassroots Participatory Democracy: Its Theoretical Foundation, Structure, and Strategies |url=https://www.academia.edu/30582442}}</ref><ref name="tandfonline.com"/><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14650045.2018.1508016|doi=10.1080/14650045.2018.1508016 |title=When Öcalan met Bookchin: The Kurdish Freedom Movement and the Political Theory of Democratic Confederalism |year=2018 |last1=Gerber |first1=Damian |last2=Brincat |first2=Shannon |journal=Geopolitics |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=1–25|s2cid=150297675 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imemo.ru/files/File/magazines/puty_miru/2016/02/04Moberg.pdf|title=NATION-BUILDING IN ROJAVA: PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY AMIDST THE SYRIAN CIVL WAR|website=Imemo.ru|access-date=4 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://repository.bilkent.edu.tr/bitstream/handle/11693/36653/bilkent-research-paper.pdf?sequence=1|format=PDF|title=RUPTURES AND RIPPLE EFFECTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND BEYOND|website=Repository.bilkent.edu.tr|access-date=4 December 2021}}</ref>

On 13 October 2019, the SDF announced that it had reached an agreement with the Syrian Army which allowed the latter to enter the SDF-held cities of Manbij and Kobani in order to dissuade a Turkish attack on those cities as part of the cross-border offensive by Turkish and Turkish-backed Syrian rebels.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-towns-report-idUSKBN1WS0K0|title=Report: Syrian army to enter SDF-held Kobani, Manbij|website=Reuters|date=14 October 2019|access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref> The Syrian Army also deployed in the north of Syria together with the SDF along the Syrian-Turkish border and entered into several SDF-held cities such as Ayn Issa and Tell Tamer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-government-sdf-idUSKBN1WS0PF|title=Syrian army to deploy along Turkish border in deal with Kurdish-led forces|website=Reuters|date=14 October 2019|access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/syrian-army-moves-to-confront-turkish-forces-as-us-withdraws/|title=Syrian army moves to confront Turkish forces as US withdraws|website=Times of Israel|date=14 October 2019|access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref> Following the creation of the Second Northern Syria Buffer Zone the SDF stated that it was ready to work cooperatively with the Syrian Army if  a political settlement between the Syrian government and the SDF was achieved.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-security-idUKKBN1X319A|title=Syrian Kurds accuse Turkey of violations, Russia says peace plan on track|website=Reuters|date=24 October 2019|access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref>

=== Largest cities ===

=== Agrarian reform ===
Agrarian reform measures were introduced into Syria which consisted of three interrelated programs: Legislation regulation the relationship between agriculture laborers and landowners: legislation governing the ownership and use of private and state domain land and directing the economic organization of peasants; and measures reorganizing agricultural production under state control.<ref>Heydemann, Steven. Authoritarianism in Syria. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1999. Print. Pg.110</ref> Despite high levels of inequality in land ownership these reforms allowed for progress in redistribution of land from 1958 to 1961 than any other reforms in Syria's history, since independence.

The first law passed (Law 134; passed 4 September 1958) in response to concern about peasant mobilization and expanding peasants' rights.<ref name="Heydemann, Steven 1999">Heydemann, Steven. Authoritarianism in Syria. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1999. Print.</ref> This was designed to strengthen the position of sharecroppers and agricultural laborers in relation to land owners.<ref name="Heydemann, Steven 1999" /> This law led to the creation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, which announced the implementation of new laws that would allow the regulation of working condition especially for women and adolescents, set hours of work, and introduce the principle of minimum wage for paid laborers and an equitable division of harvest for sharecroppers.<ref>Heydemann, Steven. Authoritarianism in Syria. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1999. Print. Pg 111.</ref> Furthermore, it obligated landlords to honor both written and oral contracts, established collective bargaining, contained provisions for workers' compensation, health, housing, and employment services.<ref name="Heydemann, Steven 1999" /> Law 134 was not designed strictly to protect workers. It also acknowledged the rights of landlords to form their own syndicates.<ref name="Heydemann, Steven 1999" />

=== Internet and telecommunications ===
Telecommunications in Syria are overseen by the Ministry of Communications and Technology.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moct.gov.sy/moct/?q=ar |title=وزارة الاتصالات والتقانة |publisher=Moct.gov.sy |access-date=28 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820050013/http://moct.gov.sy/moct/?q=ar |archive-date=20 August 2013 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> In addition, Syrian Telecom plays an integral role in the distribution of government internet access.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ste.gov.sy/ |title=AT&T – 4G LTE, Cell Phones, U-verse, TV, Internet & Phone Service |publisher=Ste.gov.sy |access-date=28 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723080155/https://www.ste.gov.sy/ |archive-date=23 July 2013}}</ref> The [[Organization:Syrian Electronic Army|Syrian Electronic Army]] serves as a pro-government military faction in cyberspace and has been long considered an enemy of the [[Hacktivism|hacktivist]] group [[Organization:Anonymous (group)|Anonymous]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Katerji |first=Oz |url=https://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-syrian-electronic-army-hacked-the-bbc |title=The Syrian Electronic Army Are at Cyber War with Anonymous|work=Vice (magazine) |date=4 April 2013 |access-date=28 August 2013}}</ref> Because of [[Social:Internet censorship|internet censorship]] laws, 13,000 internet activists were arrested between March 2011 and August 2012.<ref>{{Cite book|doi=10.1007/978-94-007-5860-5_21|volume=215|pages=177–186|series=Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering |year=2013 |last1=Eissa|first1=T|last2=Cho|first2=Gi-Hwan|title=IT Convergence and Security 2012 |chapter=Internet Anonymity in Syria, Challenges and Solution |isbn=978-94-007-5859-9}}</ref>

== Economy ==

[[File:GDP per capita development of Syria.svg|thumb|Historical development of real GDP per capita in Syria, since 1820]]
{{As of|2015}}, the Syrian economy relies upon inherently unreliable revenue sources such as dwindling customs and income taxes which are heavily bolstered by lines of credit from Iran.<ref name=revenues_shrink /> Iran is believed to spend between $6&nbsp;billion and US$20&nbsp;billion a year on Syria during the Syrian Civil War.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Jun-11/301349-iran-spends-billions-to-prop-up-assad.ashx |title=Iran spends billions to prop up Assad |publisher=TDA |agency=Bloomberg |date=11 June 2015 |access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref> The Syrian economy has contracted 60% and the Syrian pound has lost 80% of its value, with the economy becoming part [[Finance:State-owned enterprise|state-owned]] and part [[Social:War economy|war economy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33244164 |title=Syria's economy cut in half by conflict |work=BBC News |date=23 June 2015 |access-date=24 June 2015}}</ref> At the outset of the ongoing Syrian Civil War, Syria was classified by the [[Organization:World Bank|World Bank]] as a "lower middle income country."<ref name="data.worldbank.org">{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups |title=Country and Lending Groups |publisher=World Bank |access-date=26 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318125456/http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups |archive-date=18 March 2011}}</ref> In 2010, Syria remained dependent on the oil and agriculture sectors.<ref name=wbbrief>{{cite web|title=Syria Country Brief, September 2010|url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTSYRIANARAB/Resources/Syria_Web_brief.pdf|publisher=World Bank}}</ref> The oil sector provided about 40% of export earnings.<ref name=wbbrief /> Proven [[Engineering:Offshore drilling|offshore]] expeditions have indicated that large sums of oil exist on the Mediterranean Sea floor between Syria and Cyprus.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iW9VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA209|title=Transactions of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers |publisher=The Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers |date=1921}}</ref> The agriculture sector contributes to about 20% of GDP and 20% of employment. Oil reserves are expected to decrease in the coming years and Syria has already become a net oil importer.<ref name=wbbrief /> Since the civil war began, the economy shrank by 35%, and the Syrian pound has fallen to one-sixth of its prewar value.<ref name=economycrumble>{{cite news|title=Syria Weighs Its Tactics as Pillars of Its Economy Continue to Crumble|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/world/middleeast/government-in-syria-searches-for-answers-as-economy-crumbles.html |access-date=13 July 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=13 July 2013}}</ref> The government increasingly relies on credit from Iran, Russia and China.<ref name=economycrumble />

The economy is highly regulated by the government, which has increased subsidies and tightened trade controls to assuage protesters and protect foreign currency reserves.<ref name=CIA /> Long-run economic constraints include foreign trade barriers, declining oil production, high unemployment, rising budget deficits, and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution.<ref name=CIA /> The UNDP announced in 2005 that 30% of the Syrian population lives in poverty and 11.4% live below the subsistence level.<ref name="USDoS" />

Syria's share in global exports has eroded gradually since 2001.<ref name=wbgrowth10 /> The real per capita GDP growth was just 2.5% per year in the 2000–2008 period.<ref name=wbgrowth10 /> Unemployment is high at above 10%. Poverty rates have increased from 11% in 2004 to 12.3% in 2007.<ref name=wbgrowth10>{{cite web|title=Economic Challenges and Reform Options for Syria: A Growth Diagnostics Report|url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTDEBTDEPT/Resources/468980-1218567884549/5289593-1224797529767/5506237-1270144995464/DFSG03SyriaFR.pdf|publisher=World Bank|page=10|date=21 February 2011}}</ref> In 2007, Syria's main exports included fenethylline pills (an illegal drug commonly known as captagon), crude oil, refined products, raw cotton, clothing, fruits, and grains. The bulk of Syrian imports are raw materials essential for industry, vehicles, agricultural equipment, and heavy machinery. Earnings from oil exports as well as remittances from Syrian workers are the government's most important sources of foreign exchange.<ref name="USDoS" />
[[File:Aleppo soap 01.jpg|thumb|left|Aleppo soap]]
Political instability poses a significant threat to future economic development.<ref name=ief /> Foreign investment is constrained by violence, government restrictions, economic sanctions, and international isolation. Syria's economy also remains hobbled by state bureaucracy, falling oil production, rising budget deficits, and inflation.<ref name=ief>{{cite web|title=Syria|url=http://www.heritage.org/index/country/syria|publisher=Index of Economic Freedom}}</ref>

Prior to the civil war in 2011, the government hoped to attract new investment in the tourism, natural gas, and service sectors to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil and agriculture. The government began to institute economic reforms aimed at liberalizing most markets, but those reforms were slow and ad hoc, and have been completely reversed since the outbreak of conflict in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-economy-socialist-idUSBRE8630FA20120704 |title=Syria reverts to socialist economic policies to ease tension |work=Reuters |date=4 July 2012|access-date=27 October 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Al-Hamidiyah Souq 02.jpg|thumb|Al-Hamidiyah Souq in Damascus in 2010]]
[[File:Beach Latakia 4.jpg|thumb| A cove in Latakia in 2014]]

{{As of|2012}}, because of the ongoing Syrian civil war, the value of Syria's overall exports has been slashed by two-thirds, from the figure of US$12&nbsp;billion in 2010 to only US$4&nbsp;billion in 2012.<ref name="AFP economy" /> Syria's GDP declined by over 3% in 2011,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ceb7690-50df-11e1-8cdb-00144feabdc0.html |title= Syria's ailing economy hits citizens and regime |work=Financial Times |date=6 February 2012|access-date=24 August 2012}}</ref> and is expected to further decline by 20% in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Syrian Economy To Shrink By 20 Percent in 2012 As Country Struggles With War|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/syrian-economy-2012_n_2270103.html|work=HuffPost|date=12 October 2012}}</ref>

{{As of|2012}}, Syria's oil and tourism industries in particular have been devastated, with US$5&nbsp;billion lost to the ongoing conflict of the civil war.<ref name="AFP economy">{{cite news|title=Syria's battling economy may hold on with help from friends |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iIP7T7v6W5nxdJfSVrQhm5aszqgQ?docId=CNG.7610691ef383e1f07fd5e86d87ebce6e.561 |agency=Agence France-Presse |access-date=28 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823112658/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iIP7T7v6W5nxdJfSVrQhm5aszqgQ?docId=CNG.7610691ef383e1f07fd5e86d87ebce6e.561 |archive-date=23 August 2012 }}</ref> Reconstruction needed because of the ongoing civil war will cost as much as US$10&nbsp;billion.<ref name="AFP economy" /> Sanctions have sapped the government's finances. US and European Union bans on oil imports, which went into effect in 2012, are estimated to cost Syria about $400&nbsp;million a month.<ref name=shortap>{{cite news|title=Syrians struggle with shortages as economy buckles |url=http://hosted2.ap.org/KRGIFM/a7000fba28184ed9b6491e7afba69917/Article_2013-01-22-Syria-Floundering%20Economy/id-5e0da121530445049c514a7ebd88e494 |agency=Associated Press |date=22 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513183900/http://hosted2.ap.org/KRGIFM/a7000fba28184ed9b6491e7afba69917/Article_2013-01-22-Syria-Floundering%20Economy/id-5e0da121530445049c514a7ebd88e494 |archive-date=13 May 2013 }}</ref>

Revenues from tourism have dropped dramatically, with hotel occupancy rates falling from 90% before the war to less than 15% in May 2012.<ref name=economyhang /> Around 40% of all employees in the tourism sector have lost their jobs since the beginning of the war.<ref name=economyhang />

In May 2015, ISIS captured Syria's phosphate mines, one of the Syrian government's last chief sources of income.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11633289/Isil-seizes-Syrian-regimes-lucrative-phosphate-mines.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11633289/Isil-seizes-Syrian-regimes-lucrative-phosphate-mines.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Isil seizes Syrian regime's lucrative phosphate mines |work=The Telegraph |last=Sherlock |first=Ruth |date=27 May 2015|access-date=11 June 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The following month, ISIS blew up a gas pipeline to Damascus that was used to generate heating and electricity in Damascus and Homs; "the name of its game for now is denial of key resources to the regime" an analyst stated.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/blows-syria-gas-pipeline-serving-capital-monitor-171653865.html |title=IS blows up Syria gas pipeline serving capital: monitor |publisher=Yahoo News |agency=Agence France-Presse|date=10 June 2015|access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref> In addition, ISIS was closing in on Shaer gas field and three other facilities in the area—Hayan, Jihar and Ebla—with the loss of these western gas fields having the potential to cause Iran to further subsidize the Syrian government.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/11/syria-losses-east-assad-regime-precarious |title=String of losses in Syria leaves Assad regime increasingly precarious |work=The Guardian |last1=Shaheen |first1=Kareem |date=11 June 2015 |access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref>

=== Drug industry ===
Syria is home to a burgeoning [[Medicine:Prohibition of drugs|illegal drugs]] industry run by associates and relatives of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assar.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last1=Hubbard|first1=Ben|last2=Saad|first2=Hwaida|date=2021-12-05|title=On Syria's Ruins, a Drug Empire Flourishes|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/05/world/middleeast/syria-drugs-captagon-assad.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/05/world/middleeast/syria-drugs-captagon-assad.html |archive-date=2021-12-28 |url-access=limited|access-date=2021-12-06|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It mainly produces captagon, an addictive [[Chemistry:Amphetamine|amphetamine]] popular in the Arab world. As of 2021, the export of illegal drugs eclipsed the country's legal exports, leading the ''New York Times'' to call Syria "the world's newest narcostate".<ref name=":0" /> The drug exports allow the Syrian government to generate hard currency and bypass Western sanctions.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rose, Söderholm |first=Caroline, Alexander |date=April 2022 |title=The Captagon Threat: A Profile of Illicit Trade, Consumption, and Regional Realities |url=https://newlinesinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/20220404-Captagon_Report-NLISAP-final-.pdf |journal= |publisher=New Lines Institute |pages=2–39 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412214650if_/https://newlinesinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/20220404-Captagon_Report-NLISAP-final-.pdf |archive-date=12 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=14 December 2022 |title=Is the Syrian Regime the World's Biggest Drug Dealer? |url=https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/v7v8k8/syria-captagon-pills-drug-trade |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215143400/https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/v7v8k8/syria-captagon-pills-drug-trade |archive-date=15 December 2022 |website=Vice World News}}</ref> Captagon is Syria's primary export, valued at a minimum of US$3.4 billion annually, surpassing the country's largest legal export, olive oil, which is valued at around US$122 million dollars a year, as per estimates.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-07-19 |title=Syria has become a narco-state |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/19/syria-has-become-a-narco-state |access-date=2023-12-27 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

=== Petroleum industry ===
[[File:Oil refinery in Homs, 2010.jpg|thumb|left|Oil refinery in Homs]]
Syria's petroleum industry has been subject to a sharp decline. In September 2014, ISIS was producing more oil than the government at {{convert|80000|oilbbl/d|m3/d|abbr=on}} compared to the government's {{convert|17000|oilbbl/d|m3/d|abbr=on}} with the Syrian Oil Ministry stating that by the end of 2014, oil production had plunged further to {{convert|9329|oilbbl/d|m3/d|abbr=on}}; ISIS has since captured a further oil field, leading to a projected oil production of {{convert|6829|oilbbl/d|m3/d|abbr=on}}.<ref name=revenues_shrink>{{cite news | url=https://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Regional/2015/May-30/299784-syria-regime-revenues-shrink-as-losses-mount.ashx |title=Syria regime revenues shrink as losses mount |work=The Daily Star |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=30 May 2015 |access-date=31 May 2015}}</ref> In the third year of the Syrian Civil War, the deputy economy minister Salman Hayan stated that Syria's two main oil refineries were operating at less than 10% capacity.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-fuel-idUSKBN0L029R20150127 |title=Syria raises fuel prices to snuff out black market, soothe unrest|date=27 January 2015 |access-date=28 January 2015 |work=Reuters |last=Al-Khalidi |first=Suleiman}}</ref>

Historically, the country produced heavy-grade oil from fields located in the northeast since the late 1960s. In the early 1980s, light-grade, low-sulphur oil was discovered near Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria. Syria's rate of oil production has decreased dramatically from a peak close to {{convert|600000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}} (bpd) in 1995 down to less than {{convert|182500|oilbbl/d|m3/d|abbr=on}} in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=sy&v=88|title= Syria's oil production on Index Mundi|access-date=15 October 2016}}</ref> Since 2012 the production has decreased even more, reaching {{convert|32000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}} (bpd) in 2014. Official figures quantity the production in 2015 at {{convert|27000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}}, but those figures have to be taken with precaution because it is difficult to estimate the oil that is currently produced in the rebel held areas.

Prior to the uprising, more than 90% of Syrian oil exports were to EU countries, with the remainder going to Turkey.<ref name=economyhang /> Oil and gas revenues constituted in 2012 around 20% of total GDP and 25% of total government revenue.<ref name=economyhang>{{cite web|title=The Syrian Economy: Hanging by a Thread|url=http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/06/20/syrian-economy-hanging-by-thread/dwq7|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|date=20 June 2012}}</ref>

[[File:جسر الرستن الكبير.jpg|thumb|Expressway M5 near Al-Rastan]]

=== Transport ===
Syria has four international airports (Damascus, Aleppo, Lattakia and Kamishly), which serve as hubs for Syrian Air and are also served by a variety of foreign carriers.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/144596963 |title=Syria |date=2007 |publisher=EBizguides |others=Matthew Bennett, Turismo y Comunicaciones Spain. Ministerio de Transportes |isbn=978-84-935202-0-5 |location=Madrid |pages=210 |oclc=144596963}}</ref>

The majority of Syrian cargo is carried by Syrian Railways (the Syrian railway company), which links up with Turkish State Railways (the Turkish counterpart). For a relatively underdeveloped country, Syria's railway infrastructure is well maintained with many express services and modern trains.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seat61.com/Syria.htm |title=How to travel by train from London to Syria &#124; Train travel in Syria |publisher=Seat61.com |access-date=25 October 2008}}</ref>

The road network in Syria is {{convert|69873|km|abbr=off}} long, including {{convert|1103|km|abbr=off}} of expressways. The country also has {{convert|900|km|abbr=off}} of navigable but not economically significant waterways.<ref name=CIA />

=== Water supply and sanitation ===
Syria is a semiarid country with scarce water resources. The largest water consuming sector in Syria is [[Earth:Agriculture|agriculture]]. Domestic water use stands at only about 9% of total water use.<ref name="Agriculutre">{{Citation |last1=Salman |first1=M. |title=The utilization of water resources for agriculture in syria: analysis of the current situation and future challenges |date=2004-03-01 |url=https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/9789812702753_0031 |work=International Seminar on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies ? 30th Session |pages=263–274 |series=The Science and Culture Series ? Nuclear Strategy and Peace Technology |publisher=WORLD SCIENTIFIC |doi=10.1142/9789812702753_0031 |isbn=978-981-238-820-9 |access-date=2023-01-19 |last2=Mualla |first2=W.}}</ref> A big challenge for Syria before the civil war was its high population growth (in 2006 the growth rate was 2.7%<ref>{{Cite web |title=Growth after War in Syria |url=https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/424551565105634645/pdf/Growth-after-War-in-Syria.pdf}}</ref>), leading to rapidly increasing demand for urban and industrial water.<ref name="World Bank">World Bank (2001). Syrian Arab Republic Irrigation Sector Report. Rural Development, Water and Environment Group, Middle East and North Africa Region, Report No. 22602-SYR [https://web.archive.org/web/20081012215523/http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2001/09/21/000094946_01090804014647/Rendered/PDF/multi0page.pdf]</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations
|source = Central Bureau of Statistics of the Syrian Arab Republic, 2011<ref name=cbspop>{{cite web|title=Population Existed in Syria According To Censuses (1960, 1970, 1981, 1994, 2004) And Estimates of Their Number in Mid Years 2005–2011(000)|url=http://www.cbssyr.sy/yearbook/2011/Data-Chapter2/TAB-10-2-2011.htm|publisher=Central Bureau of Statistics|access-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023010741/http://www.cbssyr.sy/yearbook/2011/Data-Chapter2/TAB-10-2-2011.htm|archive-date=23 October 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|title = Historical populations
|percentages = pagr
|1960 |4565000
|1970 |6305000
|1981 |9046000
|1994 |13782000
|2004 |17921000
|2011 |21124000
|2015 |18734987
|2019 |18528105
|footnote=2019 estimate<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://population.un.org/wpp/DataQuery/|title=World Population Prospects – Population Division|publisher=United Nations}}</ref>
}}
Most people live in the Euphrates River valley and along the coastal plain, a fertile strip between the coastal mountains and the desert. Overall population density in Syria before the Civil War was about 99 per square kilometre (258 per square mile).<ref>{{Cite journal |title=INTRODUCTION_-SYRIA_CONTEXT |url=https://hwb.gov.wales/api/storage/a2190b93-e3a3-433f-8316-8e47a692f7b9/1-INTRODUCTION_-SYRIA_CONTEXT..pdf |journal=Pead Tracey}}</ref> According to the ''World Refugee Survey 2008'', published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Syria hosted a population of refugees and asylum seekers numbering approximately 1,852,300. The vast majority of this population was from Iraq (1,300,000), but sizeable populations from [[Place:Palestine (region)|Palestine]] (543,400) and Somalia (5,200) also lived in the country.<ref name="World Refugee Survey 2008">{{cite news|title=World Refugee Survey 2008 |publisher=U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants |date=19 June 2008 |url=http://www.refugees.org/resources/refugee-warehousing/archived-world-refugee-surveys/2008-world-refugee-survey.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121228132236/http://www.refugees.org/resources/refugee-warehousing/archived-world-refugee-surveys/2008-world-refugee-survey.html |archive-date=28 December 2012 }}</ref>

In what the UN has described as "the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era",<ref>{{cite web |last = Politi |first = Daniel |date = 30 August 2014 |title = U.N.: Syria Crisis Is 'Biggest Humanitarian Emergency of Our Era' |url = http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/08/30/u_n_syria_crisis_is_biggest_humanitarian_emergency_of_our_era.html |work = Slate |access-date = 1 September 2014 }}</ref> by 2014 about 9.5&nbsp;million Syrians, half the population, had been displaced since the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in March 2011;<ref name="Reuters Half">{{Cite news |last = Nebehay |first = Stephanie |date = 29 August 2014 |title = Syrian refugees top 3 million, half of all Syrians displaced – U.N. |url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-crisis-refugees-idUKKBN0GT0AZ20140829 |work = Reuters |access-date = 29 August 2014 }}</ref> 4&nbsp;million were outside the country as refugees.<ref>{{cite web|title=Demographic Data of Registered Population|url=http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php|publisher=United Nations High Commission for Refugees|access-date=29 August 2014|archive-date=19 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219072255/http://www.data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> By 2020, the UN estimated that over 5.5 million Syrians were living as refugees in the region, and 6.1 million others were internally displaced.<ref name="The Refugee Brief 2020">{{cite web | title=11 March 2020 – The Refugee Brief | website=The Refugee Brief | date=2020-03-11 | url=https://www.unhcr.org/refugeebrief/the-refugee-brief-11-march-2020/ | access-date=2021-05-20}}</ref>

=== Ethnic groups ===
[[File:Damascus, traditional clothing (6364877017).jpg|thumb|Damascus, traditional clothing]]
Syrians are an overall indigenous [[Place:Levant|Levant]]ine people, closely related to their immediate neighbors, such as Lebanese, Palestinians, Jordanians and [[Religion:Jews|Jews]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Extensive Female-Mediated Gene Flow from Sub-Saharan Africa into Near Eastern Arab Populations |pmc=1180338 |year=2003 |last1=Richards |first1=M |last2=Rengo |first2=C |last3=Cruciani |first3=F |last4=Gratrix |first4=F |last5=Wilson |first5=JF |last6=Scozzari |first6=R |last7=MacAulay |first7=V |last8=Torroni |first8=A |volume=72 |issue=4 |pages=1058–1064 |journal=American Journal of Human Genetics |doi=10.1086/374384 |pmid=12629598}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature2/online_extra.html |title=In the Wake of the Phoenicians: DNA study reveals a Phoenician-Maltese link |publisher=National Geographic Magazine |date=October 2004 |access-date=30 January 2013 |archive-date=29 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829104814/http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature2/online_extra.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Syria has a population of approximately 18,500,000 (2019 estimate). Syrian Arabs, together with some 600,000 Palestinian not including the 6&nbsp;million refugees outside the country. Arabs make up roughly 74% of the population.<ref name=CIA />

The indigenous Assyrians and Western Aramaic-speakers number around 400,000 people,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2014/04/syria-assyrians-threat-crisis.html |title=Syria's Assyrians threatened by extremists – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East |publisher=Al-Monitor |access-date=24 July 2014}}</ref> with the Western Aramaic-speakers living mainly in the villages of Ma'loula, Jubb'adin and Bakh'a, while the Assyrians mainly reside in the north and northeast (Homs, Aleppo, Qamishli, Hasakah). Many (particularly the Assyrian group) still retain several Neo-Aramaic dialects as spoken and written languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?load=detay&link=140085 |title=Turkey-Syria deal allows Syriacs to cross border for religious holidays |work=Today's Zaman |date=26 April 2008 |access-date=23 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511073737/http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?load=detay&link=140085 |archive-date=11 May 2011 }}</ref>

The second-largest ethnic group in Syria are the Kurds. They constitute about 9%<ref name=SyriaKurds>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/syria/23.htm |title=Syria – Kurds |work=Library of Congress Country Studies}}</ref> to 10%<ref name=Khalifa2013>{{citation|last=Khalifa|first=Mustafa|year=2013|title=The impossible partition of Syria|url=http://www.arab-reform.net/en/node/510|pages=3–5|journal=Arab Reform Initiative|quote='''Arabs''' constitute the major ethnic group in Syria, making up between 80 and 85% of the population. <br /> '''Kurds''' are the second largest ethnic group in Syria, making up around 10% of the Syrian population and distributed among four regions...with a Yazidi minority that numbers around 40,000...<br />'''Turkmen''' are the third-largest ethnic group in Syria, making up around 4–5% of the population. Some estimations indicate that they are the second biggest group, outnumbering Kurds, drawing on the fact that Turkmen are divided into two groups: the rural Turkmen who make up 30% of the Turkmen in Syria and have kept their mother tongue, and the urban Turkmen who have become Arabised and no longer speak their mother language... <br /> '''Assyrians''' are the fourth-largest ethnic group in Syria. They represent the original and oldest inhabitants of Syria, today making up around 3–4% of the Syrian population... <br /> '''Circassians''' are the fifth-largest ethnic group in Syria, making up around 1.5% of the population... <br /> '''Armenians''' are sixth-largest ethnic group in Syria, making up around 1% of the population... <br /> There are also a small number of other ethnic groups in Syria, including Greeks, Persians, Albanians, Bosnian, Pashtuns, Russians and Georgians...}}</ref> of the population, or approximately 2 million people (including 40,000 Yazidis<ref name=Khalifa2013 />). Most Kurds reside in the northeastern corner of Syria and most speak the [[Social:Kurmanji|Kurmanji]] variant of the Kurdish language.<ref name=SyriaKurds />

The third largest ethnic group are the [[Social:Turkish language|Turkish]]-speaking Syrian Turkmen/Turkoman. There are no reliable estimates of their total population, with estimates ranging from several hundred thousand to 3.5&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|year=2015|title=Who are the Turkmen in Syria?|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34910389|quote=There are no reliable population figures, but they are estimated to number between about half a million and 3.5 million.|author-link=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=The New York Times|year=2015|title=Who Are the Turkmens of Syria?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/world/middleeast/who-are-the-turkmens-of-syria.html|quote=Q. How many are there? A. No reliable figures are available, and estimates on the number of Turkmens in Syria and nearby countries vary widely, from the hundreds of thousands up to 3 million or more.|author-link=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Peyrouse|first=Sebastien|year=2015|title=Turkmenistan: Strategies of Power, Dilemmas of Development|page=62|publisher=[[Company:Routledge|Routledge]]|isbn=978-0-230-11552-1|quote=There are nearly one million [Turkmen] in Syria...}}</ref>

The fourth largest ethnic group are the Assyrians (3–4%),<ref name=Khalifa2013 /> followed by the Circassians (1.5%)<ref name=Khalifa2013 /> and the Armenians (1%),<ref name=Khalifa2013 /> most of which are the descendants of refugees who arrived in Syria during the Armenian genocide. Syria holds the 7th largest Armenian population in the world. They are mainly gathered in Aleppo, [[Place:Qamishli|Qamishli]], Damascus and Kesab.

[[File:Syria Ethno-religious composition..jpg|thumb|The ethno-religious composition of Syria]]
There are also smaller ethnic minority groups, such as the Albanians, Bosnians, Georgians, Greeks, Persians, Pashtuns and Russians.<ref name=Khalifa2013 /> However, most of these ethnic minorities have become Arabized to some degree, particularly those who practice the [[Religion:Muslim|Muslim]] faith.<ref name=Khalifa2013 />

The largest concentration of the Syrian diaspora outside the [[Place:Arab world|Arab world]] is in {{wipe|Brazil}}, which has millions of people of Arab and other Near Eastern ancestries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/the.arabs.of.brazil.htm |title=The Arabs of Brazil |publisher=Saudi Aramco World |date=September–October 2005 |access-date=30 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051126160504/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/the.arabs.of.brazil.htm |archive-date=26 November 2005}}</ref> Brazil is the first country in the Americas to offer humanitarian visas to Syrian refugees.<ref>{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=http://www.unhcr.org/524555689.html |title=UN refugee agency welcomes Brazil announcement of humanitarian visas for Syrians |publisher=United Nations High Commission for Refugees |access-date=24 July 2014}}</ref> The majority of Arab Argentines are from either Lebanese or Syrian background.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fearab.org.ar/inmigracion_sirio_libanesa_en_argentina.php |title=Inmigracion sirio-libanesa en Argentina |language=es |publisher=Confederación de Entidades Argentino Árabes |access-date=30 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620004217/http://www.fearab.org.ar/inmigracion_sirio_libanesa_en_argentina.php |archive-date=20 June 2010}}</ref>

=== Religion ===

[[File:Omayad Mosque of Aleppo Syria.jpg|thumb|left|Great Mosque of Aleppo, Aleppo]]

Sunni Muslims make up around 74% of Syria's population<ref name=CIA /> and Sunni Arabs account for 59–60% of the population. Most Kurds (8.5%)<ref name=Drysdale&Hinnebusch1991>{{citation|last1=Drysdale|first1=Alasdair|last2=Hinnebusch|first2=Raymond A.|year=1991|title=Syria and the Middle East Peace Process|page=[https://archive.org/details/syriamiddleeast00alas/page/222 222]|publisher=[[Organization:Council on Foreign Relations|Council on Foreign Relations]]|isbn=978-0-87609-105-0|url=https://archive.org/details/syriamiddleeast00alas/page/222}}</ref> and most Turkmens (3%)<ref name=Drysdale&Hinnebusch1991 /> are Sunni and account for the difference between Sunnis and Sunni Arabs, while 3% of Syrians are Shia Muslims (particularly Ismailis, and Twelvers but there are also Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens), 10% Alawites, 10% [[Religion:Christians|Christians]]<ref name=CIA /> (the majority are Antiochian Greek Orthodox, the rest are Syriac Orthodox, Greek Catholic and other Catholic Rites, Armenian Orthodox, Assyrian Church of the East, Protestants and other denominations), and 3% Druzes.<ref name=CIA /> Druze number around 500,000, and concentrate mainly in the southern area of [[Earth:Jabal al-Druze|Jabal al-Druze]].<ref name="book">{{cite book|last=Danna|first=Nissim|title=The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status|publisher=Sussex Academic Press|location=Brighton|date=December 2003 |page=227 |isbn=978-1-903900-36-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2nCWIsyZJxUC&pg=PA99}}</ref>

President Bashar al-Assad's family is Alawite and Alawites dominate the government of Syria and hold key military positions.<ref name="The Sturdy House That Assad Built2"/><ref>{{cite journal|jstor=4283331|title=The Alawi Capture of Power in Syria|first=Daniel|last=Pipes|date=1 January 1989|journal=Middle Eastern Studies|volume=25|issue=4|pages=429–450|doi=10.1080/00263208908700793|s2cid=143250254}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 March 2019 |title=More than 570 thousand people were killed on the Syrian territory within 8 years of revolution demanding freedom, democracy, justice, and equality |url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=120851 |publisher=The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights}}</ref> In May 2013, SOHR stated that out of 94,000 killed during the Syrian Civil War, at least 41,000 were Alawites.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-deaths-idUSBRE94D0L420130514 |title=Death toll in Syria likely as high as 120,000: group |work=Reuters |date=14 May 2013}}</ref>

[[Religion:Christians|Christians]] (1.2&nbsp;million), a sizable number of whom are found among Syria's population of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, are divided into several sects: Greek Orthodox make up 45.7% of the Christian population; the [[Organization:Syriac Orthodox Church|Syriac Orthodox]] make up 22.4%; the Armenian Orthodox make up 10.9%; the Catholics (including Greek Catholic, Syriac Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Maronite, Chaldean Catholic and Latin) make up 16.2%; Assyrian Church of the East and several smaller Christian denominations account for the remainder. Many Christian monasteries also exist. Many Christian Syrians belong to a high socio-economic class.<ref>{{cite web|author=Tomader Fateh |url=http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/patriarch-antioch-i-will-be-judged-if-i-do-not-carry-church-and-each-one-you-my-heart |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302140119/http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/patriarch-antioch-i-will-be-judged-if-i-do-not-carry-church-and-each-one-you-my-heart |archive-date=2 March 2010 |title=Patriarch of Antioch: I will be judged if I do not carry the Church and each one of you in my heart |work=Forward Magazine |date=25 October 2008 |access-date=30 January 2013}}</ref> As per one estimate, the count of Christians affiliated with established denominations in Syria has dropped from approximately 2.5 million before the civil war, to about 500,000 in 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-07-13 |title=Syria's president wants non-Muslim religions to help end his pariah status |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/07/13/syrias-president-wants-non-muslim-religions-to-help-end-his-pariah-status |access-date=2023-12-27 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

Syria was once home to a substantial population of Jews, with large communities in Damascus, Aleppo, and Qamishii. Due to a combination of persecution in Syria and opportunities elsewhere, the Jews began to emigrate in the second half of the 19th century to Great Britain, the United States, and Israel. The process was completed with the establishment of the [[Place:Israel|State of Israel]] in 1948. In 2021 there were no Jews left in Syria.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews-of-syria|title=Jews of Syria|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref>

=== Languages ===
[[Social:Modern Standard Arabic|Arabic]] is the official language of the country.<ref name="CoSAR">{{cite web |title=Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic – 2012 |url=https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/ELECTRONIC/91436/106031/F-931434246/constitution2.pdf |access-date=31 August 2020 |publisher=International Labour Organization}}</ref> Several modern Arabic dialects are used in everyday life, most notably Levantine in the west and Mesopotamian in the northeast. According to ''The Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics'', in addition to Arabic, the following languages are spoken in the country, in order of the number of speakers: Kurdish,<ref name=Behnstedt>{{citation |last=Behnstedt|first=Peter|year=2008|chapter=Syria|title=Encyclopedia of Arabic language and linguistics|volume=4|page=402|publisher=[[Company:Brill Publishers|Brill Publishers]]|isbn=978-90-04-14476-7}}</ref> [[Social:Turkish language|Turkish]],<ref name=Behnstedt /> Neo-Aramaic (four dialects),<ref name=Behnstedt /> Circassian,<ref name=Behnstedt /> [[Social:Chechen language|Chechen]],<ref name=Behnstedt /> [[Social:Armenian language|Armenian]],<ref name=Behnstedt /> and finally [[Social:Greek language|Greek]].<ref name=Behnstedt /> However, none of these minority languages have official status.<ref name=Behnstedt />

Aramaic was the lingua franca of the region before the advent of [[Social:Classical Arabic|Arabic]], and is still spoken among Assyrians, and Classical Syriac is still used as the liturgical language of various Syriac Christian denominations. Most remarkably, Western Neo-Aramaic is still spoken in the village of Ma'loula as well as two neighboring villages, {{convert|35|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} northeast of Damascus.

English and French are widely spoken as second languages, but English is more often used.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-08-01 |title=What Languages Are Spoken in Syria? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-syria.html |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Education ===
[[File:Damascus University.jpg|thumb|Damascus University headquarters in Baramkeh]]
Education is free and compulsory from ages 6 to 12. Schooling consists of 6 years of primary education followed by a 3-year general or vocational training period and a 3-year academic or vocational program. The second 3-year period of academic training is required for university admission. Total enrollment at post-secondary schools is over 150,000. The [[Philosophy:Literacy|literacy]] rate of Syrians aged 15 and older is 90.7% for males and 82.2% for females.<ref name="US department of States">{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/syria/85051.htm |title=U.S. Relations With Syria |publisher=State.gov |date=24 October 2012 |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref><ref name="impact-se">{{cite web|url=http://www.impact-se.org/docs/reports/Syria/Syria2001_ch1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511081229/http://www.impact-se.org/docs/reports/Syria/Syria2001_ch1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 May 2011 |title=Syria's Education System – Report – June 2001|access-date=23 April 2011}}</ref>
[[File:UIS Literacy Rate Syria population plus15 1980 2015.png|thumb|left|UIS adult literacy rate of Syria]]

Since 1967, all schools, colleges, and universities have been under close government supervision by the Ba'ath Party.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/syria/37.htm |title=Syria – Education |publisher=Countrystudies.us |access-date=25 October 2008}}</ref>

There are 6 state universities in Syria<ref>{{cite web|author=Ministry of Higher Education |url=http://www.mohe.gov.sy/new/index.php?page=show&ex=2&dir=docs&lang=2&ser=1&cat=1168&ref=home |title=Public universities |publisher=Ministry of Higher Education |date=23 November 2011 |access-date=22 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113145303/http://www.mohe.gov.sy/new/index.php?page=show&ex=2&dir=docs&lang=2&ser=1&cat=1168&ref=home |archive-date=13 November 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and 15 private universities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mohe.gov.sy/new/index.php?page=show&ex=2&dir=docs&ex=2&ser=1&lang=2&cat=1521 |title=Private universities |publisher=Ministry of Higher Education |date=23 November 2011 |access-date=22 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113145919/http://www.mohe.gov.sy/new/index.php?page=show&ex=2&dir=docs&ex=2&ser=1&lang=2&cat=1521 |archive-date=13 November 2012 }}</ref> The top two state universities are [[Organization:Damascus University|Damascus University]] (210,000 students as of 2014)<ref>{{cite web|title=Forward Magazine, Interview with President of Damascus University|url=http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/we-are-still-high-demand-180000-students-and-20000-annual-enrollments|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618100320/http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/we-are-still-high-demand-180000-students-and-20000-annual-enrollments|archive-date=18 June 2008|date=February 2008}}</ref> and [[Organization:University of Aleppo|University of Aleppo]].<ref>[http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/celebrating-50-years-aleppo-university Forward Magazine, Interview with President of Aleppo University, May 2008]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906214558/http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/celebrating-50-years-aleppo-university |date=6 September 2015 }}</ref> The top private universities in Syria are: [[Organization:Syrian Private University|Syrian Private University]], [[Organization:Arab International University|Arab International University]], [[Organization:University of Kalamoon|University of Kalamoon]] and [[Organization:International University for Science and Technology|International University for Science and Technology]]. There are also many higher institutes in Syria, like the Higher Institute of Business Administration, which offer undergraduate and graduate programs in business.<ref>{{cite web|title=Getting education right|url=http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/getting-education-right|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003162241/http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/getting-education-right|archive-date=3 October 2010|date=March 2008}}</ref>

According to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, the top-ranking universities in the country are [[Organization:Damascus University|Damascus University]] (3540th worldwide), the [[Organization:University of Aleppo|University of Aleppo]] (7176th) and [[Organization:Tishreen University|Tishreen University]] (7968th).<ref>{{cite web|title=Syrian Arab Republic|url=http://www.webometrics.info/en/aw/Syrian%20Arab%20Republic|publisher=Ranking Web of Universities|access-date=26 February 2013}}</ref>

=== Health ===
In 2010, spending on healthcare accounted for 3.4% of the country's GDP. In 2008, there were 14.9 physicians and 18.5 nurses per 10,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web|title=Health|url=http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=50&cat_code=8|publisher=SESRIC|access-date=5 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513184758/http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=50&cat_code=8|archive-date=13 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The life expectancy at birth was 75.7 years in 2010, or 74.2 years for males and 77.3 years for females.<ref>{{cite web|title=Demography|url=http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=50&cat_code=7|publisher=SESRIC|access-date=5 March 2013}}</ref>

== Culture ==
[[File:Dabke2.jpg|thumb|Dabke combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other joyous occasions.]]
Syria is a traditional society with a long cultural history.<ref>{{cite book |last = Hopwood |first = Derek |title = Syria 1945–1986: Politics and Society |publisher = [[Company:Routledge|Routledge]] |year = 1988 |isbn = 978-0-04-445039-9 |url = https://archive.org/details/syria19451986pol0000hopw }}</ref> Importance is placed on family, religion, education, self-discipline and respect. Syrians' taste for the traditional arts is expressed in dances such as the al-Samah, the Dabkeh in all their variations, and the sword dance. Marriage ceremonies and the births of children are occasions for the lively demonstration of folk customs.<ref name="traditional">{{cite book |last = Salamandra |first = Christa |author-link = Derek Hopwood |title = A New Old Damascus: Authenticity and Distinction in Urban Syria |publisher = Indiana University Press |year = 2004 |isbn = 978-0-253-21722-6 |page = 103 }}</ref>

=== Literature ===
[[File:Adonis Cracow Poland May12 2011 Fot Mariusz Kubik 08.JPG|thumb|upright=0.75|Adunis]]
The literature of Syria has contributed to Arabic literature and has a proud tradition of oral and written poetry. Syrian writers, many of whom migrated to Egypt, played a crucial role in the nahda or Arab literary and cultural revival of the 19th century. Prominent contemporary Syrian writers include, among others, Adonis, Muhammad Maghout, Haidar Haidar, Ghada al-Samman, Nizar Qabbani and Zakariyya Tamer.

Ba'ath Party rule, since the 1966 coup, has brought about renewed censorship.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |title=World Report 2019: Rights Trends in Syria |date=17 December 2018 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |chapter=Syria: Events of 2018 |chapter-url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/syria}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=OHCHR {{!}} IICISyria Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic |url=https://www.ohchr.org/En/HRBodies/HRC/IICISyria/Pages/IndependentInternationalCommission.aspx |access-date=2020-10-19 |website=www.ohchr.org}}</ref> In this context, the genre of the historical novel, spearheaded by Nabil Sulayman, Fawwaz Haddad, Khyri al-Dhahabi and Nihad Siris, is sometimes used as a means of expressing dissent, critiquing the present through a depiction of the past. Syrian folk narrative, as a subgenre of historical fiction, is imbued with magical realism, and is also used as a means of veiled criticism of the present. Salim Barakat, a Syrian émigré living in Sweden, is one of the leading figures of the genre. Contemporary Syrian literature also encompasses science fiction and futuristic [[Philosophy:Utopia|utopia]]e (Nuhad Sharif, Talib Umran), which may also serve as media of dissent.

=== Music ===
The Syrian music scene, in particular that of Damascus, has long been among the Arab world's most important, especially in the field of classical Arab music. Syria has produced several pan-Arab stars, including Asmahan, Farid al-Atrash and singer Lena Chamamyan. The city of Aleppo is known for its [[Religion:Muwashshah|muwashshah]], a form of Andalous sung poetry popularized by Sabri Moudallal, as well as for popular stars like Sabah Fakhri.

=== Media ===
Television was introduced to Syria and Egypt in 1960, when both were part of the [[Place:United Arab Republic|United Arab Republic]]. It broadcast in black and white until 1976. Syrian soap operas have considerable market penetration throughout the eastern Arab world.<ref>{{cite book |last = Salti |first = Rasha |title = Insights into Syrian Cinema: Essays and Conversations with Contemporary Filmmakers |publisher = ArteEast |year = 2006 |isbn = 978-1-892494-70-2 }}</ref>

Nearly all of Syria's media outlets are state-owned, and the Ba'ath Party controls nearly all newspapers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/pfs/371.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227094624/http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/pfs/371.pdf |archive-date=27 December 2010 |title=Freedom House report on Syria (2010) |publisher=Freedom House }}</ref> The authorities operate several intelligence agencies,<ref>{{cite book|last=Wright|first=Robin|title=Dreams and shadows, the Future of the Middle East|url=https://archive.org/details/dreamsshadowsfut00wrig|url-access=registration|publisher=Penguin Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/dreamsshadowsfut00wrig/page/214 214]|year=2008|isbn=9781594201110|quote=more than one dozen intelligence agencies}}</ref> among them Shu'bat al-Mukhabarat al-'Askariyya, employing many operatives.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wright|first=Robin|title=Dreams and shadows, the Future of the Middle East|url=https://archive.org/details/dreamsshadowsfut00wrig|url-access=registration|publisher=Penguin Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/dreamsshadowsfut00wrig/page/230 230]|year=2008 |isbn=9781594201110|quote=hundreds of thousands of mukhabarat according to dissident Riad Seif}}</ref> During the Syrian Civil War many of Syria's artists, poets, writers and activists have been incarcerated, and some have been killed, including famed cartoonist Akram Raslam.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.syriauntold.com/en/creative/akram-raslan-how-caricatures-shake-tyranny |title=Akram Raslan: How Caricatures Shake Tyranny | date=13 April 2015 |publisher=Syria Untold |access-date=23 September 2015}}</ref>

=== Sports ===
[[File:Aleppo International Stadium, day view, 2009 (2).jpg|thumb|Aleppo International Stadium]]

The most popular sports in Syria are football, basketball, swimming, and tennis. Damascus was home to the fifth and seventh Pan Arab Games.

=== Cuisine ===
[[File:Fattoush.JPG|thumb|right|Fattoush, a Syrian bread salad]]
Syrian cuisine is rich and varied in its ingredients, linked to the regions of Syria where a specific dish has originated. Syrian food mostly consists of Southern Mediterranean, Greek, and Southwest Asian dishes. Some Syrian dishes also evolved from Turkish and French cooking: dishes like shish kebab, stuffed zucchini/courgette, and ''yabraʾ'' (stuffed grape leaves, the word ''yabraʾ'' deriving from the [[Social:Turkish language|Turkish]] word ''yaprak'', meaning leaf).

The main dishes that form Syrian cuisine are kibbeh, hummus, [[Biology:Tabbouleh|tabbouleh]], fattoush, labneh, shawarma, mujaddara, shanklish, pastırma, sujuk and baklava. Baklava is made of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and soaked in [[Chemistry:Honey|honey]]. Syrians often serve selections of appetizers, known as meze, before the main course. Za'atar, minced beef, and cheese manakish are popular hors d'œuvres. The Arabic flatbread khubz is always eaten together with meze.

Drinks in Syria vary, depending on the time of day and the occasion. [[Engineering:Arabic coffee|Arabic coffee]] is the most well-known hot drink, usually prepared in the morning at breakfast or in the evening. It is usually served for guests or after food. Arak, an alcoholic drink, is a well-known beverage, served mostly on special occasions. Other Syrian beverages include ayran, [[Chemistry:Jallab|jallab]], white coffee, and a locally manufactured beer called Al Shark.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/travel/2009/1015/damascus.html |title=Damascus |date=15 October 2009 |publisher=Raidió Teilifís Éireann |access-date=26 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091204125219/http://www.rte.ie/travel/2009/1015/damascus.html |archive-date=4 December 2009 }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Asia|Middle East
}}
* Index of Syria-related articles
* International recognition of the Syrian National Council

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== General references ===
{{refbegin}}
*Boczek, Boleslaw Adam (2006). ''International Law: A Dictionary''. Scarecrow Press. {{ISBN|0-8108-5078-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Finkelstein|first=Norman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vNb5VkyxDlYC |title= Image and reality of the Israel-Palestine conflict|publisher=Verso|year= 2003|isbn=978-1-85984-442-7}}
* {{Citation | last = Glass | first = Charles | title = Tribes with Flags: A Dangerous Passage Through the Chaos of the Middle East | publisher = Atlantic Monthly Press (New York) and Picador (London) | year = 1990 | isbn = 978-0-436-18130-6}}.
*Karoubi, Mohammad Taghi (2004). ''Just or Unjust War?'' Ashgate Publishing {{ISBN|0-7546-2375-0}}
* {{Citation | title = Forward Magazine | url = http://fw-magazine.com/ | type = Syria's English monthly since 2007}}.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121224231822/http://www.orsam.org.tr/tr/trUploads/Yazilar/Dosyalar/2011113_inceleme4.pdf Orsam Suriye Türkleri Raporu-Orsam Syria Turks]
* {{Wikicite|id=Wright-2008|reference=Wright, Robin. 2008. ''Dreams and Shadows : the Future of the Middle East''. Penguin.}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Citation | first = Nikolaos | last = van Dam | url = http://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/The-struggle-for-power-in-Syria-Nikolaos-van-Dam.php | title = The Struggle for Power in Syria: Politics and Society under Asad and the Ba'ath Party | publisher = I. B. Tauris | year = 2011}}.
* {{cite book|last=Dawisha|first=A. I. |title=Syria and the Lebanese Crisis|year=1980|publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn= 978-0-312-78203-0}}
* {{Citation | first = Fred H | last = Lawson | url = http://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/Demystifying-Syria.php | title = Demystifying Syria | publisher = Saqi | year = 2010}}.
* {{cite book|last=Maoz|first=M.|title=Syria Under Assad| editor-first =A | editor-last = Yaniv |year=1986 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn= 978-0-312-78206-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Paton |first=L. B. |title=The Early History of Syria and Palestine|year=1981 |isbn= 978-1-113-53822-2}}
* {{cite book |first= Christian C.|last =Sahner|title=Among the Ruins: Syria Past and Present|publisher= Oxford University Press |year=2014|isbn=978-0-19-939670-2 |url= http://global.oup.com/academic/product/among-the-ruins-9780199396702;jsessionid=096DE7B7596EB6555D9A4B94D99A8333?cc=us&lang=en&}}
* {{Citation | first = Alfred | last = Schlicht | title = The role of foreign powers in the history of Lebanon and Syria from 1799 to 1861 | journal = Journal of Asian History | volume = 14 | year = 1980}}.
*{{cite book |last=Seale |first=Patrick |title=The Struggle for Syria|year=1987|publisher=Yale University Press |isbn= 978-0-300-03944-3}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/ Syria]. ''The World Factbook''. Central Intelligence Agency.
* {{curlie|Regional/Middle_East/Syria}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703856 Syria profile] from the BBC News

{{Geographic location
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 | South = {{flag|Jordan}} • {{flag|Iraq}}
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[[Category:Eastern Mediterranean]]

{{Sourceattribution|Syria}}