Rabat L. Difficulties in resolving the syrian conflict: external intervention and “liberal” approach towards peace-building. Voprosy natsional'nykh i federativnykh otnosheniy, 2021, vol. 71, no. 2, pp. 481-490. DOI 10.35775 ...

Abstract

The war in Syria has created a humanitarian crisis which began in 2011 and continues to this day. The Syrian conflict and its resolution are multilateral processes as they involve many local, regional and international actors, such as Russia, Iran, Turkey, the United States and a number of other countries, as well as various international organizations. These countries have different interests in Syria as well as different approaches to defining the role of the international community in peacebuilding. All this complicates and lengthens the process of resolving the Syrian crisis. Moreover, the main approach to peacebuilding today is to “liberalize” the political regimes and economies of countries in conflict. This approach has been criticized both by scientists and by major countries such as Russia and China. The long and so-far unsuccessful “peace process” of the Syrian crisis is one example of the failure of the “liberalizing” approach to re- solving the conflict and creating sustainable peace. This approach has now been replaced by a new trend that promotes a “hybrid” form of peacebuilding, which supports the creation of flexible and resilient local public institutions that can support sustainable peace.