Cold War Resurgence: The Case of Syrian Uprising

Abstract

Despite the appeals for a united and concerted action to resolve the armed conflict in Syria, the Security Council has failed to initiate actions that can ensure peace to the troubled country. This is principally due to the negative votes of some of the permanent members. The Syrian conflict and the behavior of the permanent members are reminiscent of the Cold War that featured a bipolar political rivalry between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Two decades after the purportedly end of the Cold War, an unprecedented region-wide uprising began in the Arab world. Russia as the continuation of the former Soviet Union (although in different political and territorial terms), today defines its action in Syria in terms of its own national interests. The pursuit of such interests by these great powers has made Syria a theatre for high power diplomatic horse-trading reminiscent of the Cold War. This paper examines the manner the Syrian crisis is a semblance of the superpower rivalry of the Cold War years. The paper is suggestive of an imminent resurgence of another Cold War, should the major powers fail to sink their differences in Syria.