Evaluation Of The Interests Of Power Sloes In The Syrian War Within The Onion Model Perspective

Civilian unrest in Syria started in March 2011 and quickly became an internationalized proxy war, with the involvement of France, Iran, Russia, Turkey, the United States, and other actors, as well as the rise of a transnational terrorist movement, the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The war has been fought at the price of massive loss of life, huge flows of refugees, widespread destruction, and multiple atrocities, many probably meeting the qualifications for war crimes or crimes against humanity. This paper brings to fore the dynamics of power play by external actors involved in the war. The paper adopts the use of the onion model as a theoretical framework of analysis; it adopts the use of the qualitative research method. It was found that the influence of external actors in the war has further escalated tensions in the region as a result of power tussle. It was concluded that there must be the maintenance of status quo and the mediation by international regimes. The paper recommends amongst others the need for caution and restrain by the power blocs so as not to further escalate tension and deepen crisis in the already fragile region.