Syrian Civil War Dbq

Lilianne Helfrich 5/9/18 Period B

Essential Question: Should the United States continue to be involved in the Syrian civil war?

Although the United States could cause further problems with Russia and it may be expensive for our government, the United States should continue to be involved in the Syrian civil war. The United States involvement in the war could help young refugees go to school, aid the refugees escaping the war and spread peace throughout Syria.

The United States could cause further problems with Russia because Russia “started bombing what it referred to as "terrorist groups" in Syria. Russia targeted the Islamic State, but also rebel groups backed by the United States.”(Document A). This could be problematic because

tensions between the U.S. and Russia are already very high. We already have problems with Russia, and starting more in Syria could turn Russia away and they might retaliate in a tragic way. Russia supports Bashar Al-Assad, the dictator of Syria, while the U.S. is helping the rebel forces trying to fight the government. While both countries want to annihilate ISIS, an Islamic extremist group, this could be the start of a larger war that might start spilling over into other countries, causing panic and distress through Southwest Asia. Although this is a good point, it is clearly incorrect because even though Russia could turn against the U.S., the countries both want peace and may be able to come to an agreement. If the two countries are able to agree, than it may be a start on spreading peace and rebuilding Syria.

It may be expensive for the United States government because “the Defense Department expects to spend roughly $15.3 billion in Syria next year, the highest level yet, with the State Department accounting for another billion in foreign aid.”(Document C). This could be difficult because we are spending so much in other countries when many feel we should start by using this money to solve the problems in our own country. Spending this much money on a broken country is almost pointless because if the rebels win then Syria has no real government and they will spin into and economic frenzy. If the Syrian government wins, then the rebels will be punished and the government will keep ruling, but there will be no people and buildings left in Syria to rule. So, we have to decide whether we want to try to help a country that can’t be helped or fix our own problems. Although this is a solid indication, this point is weak, inaccurate and obviously mistaken because we are a very wealthy country and have money to spare. Syria can still be helped, we may not be able to fix it completely, but we can try to bandage up the country in hopes of spreading peace and tranquility.

The United States could help young refugees go to school because “before the war began, things were very different for our sisters in Syria.

All children could attend 12 years of school for free, and the country had a 90 percent literacy rate.”(Document F). Now, barely any children in Syria go to school because many of the families are fleeing. Also, it’s not safe, there have been devastating school bombings in Syria. Our country is very wealthy and we can afford to spend some money on Syria. We should spend a portion of that money on starting schools in neighboring countries so that Syrian children who are refugees can learn. This would change so many lives and will allow children to get a decent education so they can later influence the

world.

The United States could aid the refugees of the Syrian war because “the war is creating deep effects outside of Syria as well. Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan are now housing large and growing numbers of Syrian refugees. This is also impacting European countries.”(Document A). This puts much pressure on neighboring and European countries to host refugees. The U.S. could help by spending money on creating more refugee camps or starting some of their own in nearby countries. The U.S. could also start accepting Syrian refugees into our country as immigrants. This would help so that the neighboring countries don’t have to take in all of the refugees. This would be life changing for some of those refugees who have had to live through the war raging around them, just hoping for the best.

The United States could help spread peace throughout Syria because “in January 2011, protests began in Egypt, spreading throughout the region.

This was known as the Arab Spring. Eventually, peaceful protests erupted in Syria as well… The Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, responded to the protests violently. It killed hundreds of demonstrators and imprisoned many more.” (Document A). This could easily be prevented if the United States or some other countries in the United Nations stepped in and negotiated peace with Syria. The Syrian government has been wreaking havoc in its own country and the Syrian rebels are trying to wreak havoc in the government. If only there were countries to step in and help out, give aid to refugees and wounded persons, rebuild some of the destroyed buildings and help Syria negotiate peace. If the Syrian rebels and the Syrian government were given the chance, there might be a way for them to compromise and spread peace throughout Syria. If we hesitate for to long, there might not be a Syria left to

save.

The essential question is so important because it’s a life or death situation for thousands of people in Syria. We could be there only chance to live, we need to step in and do something. My answer to this question is extremely important because we can’t just give up on Syria, it’s not broken yet, we still have the chance to make a huge difference and help them fix their country. I don’t want the lives of innocent people on my conscience because our country didn’t step in and help them.