James Denselow

Writer, Middle East Analyst

The Syrian war marks its nine year anniversary - if that is the right word - later this month. The scale of damage and destruction to the country and its people often results in a litany of statistics too awful and impossible to seem real to those outside of the country. The fire of conflict continues to burn as brightly as ever however the map of the fighting has metastasised over the years and is currently focused on the northwest province of Idlib.

Syria’s war tells us first and foremost about the politics of that country, but then it reverberates into the geopolitics of the region and then further still providing a reflection of where the international order is during this decade. The primary mechanisms of dispute resolution, the guardians of war and peace have clearly failed when it comes to Syria. The United Nations Security Council is characterised by the gridlock of apathetic Western states and the veto-wilding Russians and the Chinese, the former of which is of course a key strategic actor on the ground itself.

The apathy of Western states is born from the experience of the post-9/11 era. Activist foreign policies, and in particular the interventionist invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan led to a period of what seemed like endless wars, where blood and treasure was spent in huge sums for little to no material gain.

Surveys of Western publics revealed a nostalgic preference for the older conflicts that pitted good versus bad, the Allie versus the Nazis say, rather than the ‘grey zone’ of modern conflicts like Syria with numerous State and non-State actors muddying the battle space.

Yet the fundamental mistake in the debate in Western capitals has been to imagine the choice as between extremes of options; full scale intervention or full scale isolation. It was only the macabre rise of ISIS and their industrial level propaganda that forced the hand of the Americans, the world’s most powerful military actors let us not forget, from getting actively involved on the ground in the country albeit with a narrow mandate.

However, as is famously said if your neighbour’s house is on fire you have self - as well as altruistic - interest in putting it out. A pervading sense that Syria’s conflict is too complex, too brutal and of little strategic importance, has left the fire of war to burn for this many years. Neighbouring states like Turkey, previously not huge geopolitical players when it came to the politics of Syria, were forced into involvement. Firstly by their accommodation of millions of fleeing Syrians and now in Idlib in response to the very real prospect of millions more moving across their borders as Syria continues to haemorrhage its own population.

Turkey using the control of the movement of Syria refugees is cyclical policy indeed, but at the same time a predictable response to what Ankara sees as a position of denial from the EU as to both the war and its consequences. The ‘butterfly effect’ of global events has linked the war in Syria and its subsequent mass migration as half the population was forced from their homes, to events such as the Trump election and the Brexit referendum in the UK, where those arguing for ‘leave’ used photographs of Syrian refugees along with a message of ‘breaking point’.

Today the threat of tens of thousands of refugees flowing into Europe comes at a time of heightened alert as the Coronavirus outbreak teeters on becoming a pandemic. These are all reasons for a recalibration of Western policy towards Syria; away from a position of hope that the conflict will somehow resolved itself, towards one that recognises that the wildfire of conflict and its associated fallouts don’t recognise and respect international borders but instead burn chaotic with a host of unpredictable consequences.

An EU looking to reinvent itself following Brexit, a UK looking to redefine itself following the same event and the prospect of a new US President in 2021 are all factors in the equation that could alter the current stagnant Syria policy and chart a new course towards a more global approach to what must now be recognised is a conflict with global repercussions.

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has announced its sponsorship of the “Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition (GU - IST Solutions), hosted by Gulf University at its main campus.
This strategic sponsorship reflects BENEFIT’s active role in advancing technological innovation and fostering sustainable solutions to future challenges. It also seeks to empower Bahraini youth by enhancing their skills, capabilities, and competitiveness in innovation and solution development—contributing meaningfully to the broader goals of sustainable development across all sectors.
As part of BENEFIT’s active involvement in the competition, the company has announced that Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication, will serve on the competition’s supervisory committee. Her upcoming participation reflects BENEFIT’s forward-looking commitment to championing academic and professional excellence.
Commenting on the occasion, Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication at BENEFIT, said, “We are privileged to support this pioneering initiative, which aligns seamlessly with BENEFIT’s enduring commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing the potential of Bahrain’s youth. Our participation is rooted in a deep sense of social responsibility and a firm belief in the pivotal role of innovation in shaping a sustainable future. Through such platforms, we seek to empower the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and foresight required to develop impactful solutions that address future challenges, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
Dr. Aseel Al Ayash Dean of the College of Engineering in Gulf University commented, “We extend our sincere gratitude to BENEFIT for their generous sponsorship and support of the Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition. This contribution plays an instrumental role in helping us achieve the strategic goals of this initiative, namely, cultivating a culture of innovation and sustainability, encouraging efforts that address the imperatives of sustainable development, and enhancing the practical and professional capabilities of our students and participants.”
The event will bring together a diverse spectrum of participants, including secondary school students, university undergraduates, engineers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and subject matter experts representing a wide range of disciplines.
The competition seeks to inspire participants to develop and present innovative, sustainable technologies aimed at addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. It encourages the formulation of business models that integrate advanced technological solutions with core principles of sustainability. Moreover, it serves as a platform for emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, promote the ethos of responsible technology, and demonstrate its transformative potential across various sectors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to view a series of project presentations submitted by participants, covering diverse areas such as eco-friendly product design, smart and sustainable innovations, renewable energy technologies, water conservation and management, waste minimisation and recycling, green architectural solutions, and sustainable transportation systems. Outstanding projects will be formally recognised and awarded at the conclusion of the event.