DERASAT holds seminar on Syrian conflict

Manama, Dec. 20 (BNA): The Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT) convenes a seminar on "Syrian Crisis: The Motives and the Role of Regional and International Powers in the Conflict". DERASAT's board of trustees chairman, Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Fadhala, said the seminar will discuss the developments and ramifications of the Syrian crisis on the regional and international situation as the conflicts ushers into its fifth year and becomes more complicated than ever before. The crisis began in Syria as a civil strife, became more complicated and Syria turned into one of the sources that strengthen terrorist groups, especially the so-called Daesh which found a new haven for itself in Syria. Then the crisis developed with the involvement of regional countries, such as Iran, and trans-border terrorist groups such as Hezbollah which sparked unprecedented sectarian strife, he said. He added the conflict has become international with the advent of the Russian armed forces on the battlefields and the resolve of the international coalition forces to participate in this conflict to fight terrorism, and all these changes, made the Syrian situation one of the most complicated international crises, especially with the influx of millions of Syrian refugees into neighboring countries reaching as far as the European Union countries as well as some NATO-member countries. The seminar will discuss the understandings between the allies in the Syrian scene, the conflict between regional and international willpower in Syria, and why the international community hesitated in solving the conflict in Syria. The seminar will also shed light on how Arab conflicts changed from nationalistic to sectarian conflicts as well as the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on regional security and the likely trends in the Syrian crisis in 2016 especially with the formation of the Islamic military alliance against terrorism and its regional and international role led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.