Reports in June of 2015 suggested that Syrian government forces were actively helping ISIS
as the terrorist group spreads throughout civil war-torn Syria.
With the country in a total state of chaos, and Bashar Al-Assad taking widely condemned
military action against his citizens, Syria is considered one of the least peaceful countries
in the world.
So, how powerful is Syria?
Well, before the start of the ongoing 2011 civil war, Syria was already a pretty bad
place to live.
Since 1963, the country has been non-democratically ruled by the Assad family, with no constitutional
protections for their citizens under a form of martial law.
The dramatic shift caused by the Arab Spring and leading to the civil war has had significant
repercussions.
In what has been called one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies of our era,
the war forced the evacuation and displacement of almost half the country’s 18 million
residents.
Of them, 6.5 million have been forced out of their homes, about 3 million have fled
outside the country, and at least 200,000 have been killed between March 2011 and April
2014.
Before the war, Syria was mostly an oil country, with petroleum accounting for half of their
exports.
However, their GDP was only about 60 billion, ranked roughly 70th in the world.
And even without the war, the country is running into declining oil production, high unemployment,
unequal supply and demand of water, and unsustainable population growth.
A recent report said that it would take Syria at least three decades to rebuild their meager
economy after the end of the conflict.
Syria’s military has also taken a big hit.
Even though their forces are staffed through conscription, the number of enlisted members
has dropped by 55% from 325,000 to 150,000.
Many have been killed or have left the country.
This has resulted in a campaign to force those who have finished their military service to
be forced back into duty.
The country’s problems have only been exacerbated by the almost intentional presence of ISIS,
which has captured a number of Syrian cities and oilfields, and diverted much of the country’s
wealth and resources onto themselves.
With these new allegations that Bashar Al-Assad has been helping ISIS, Syria’s power has
some terrifying implications.
So how powerful is Syria?
Powerful enough to destroy its own population and economy, and serve as a breeding ground
for the violently powerful terrorist state.