The Conflict in Syria: Should the United States Get More Involved?

The purpose of this research is to explore the relations between Syria, Russia, and the United States in the Syrian civil war. The relationship has been in turmoil because of the complexities of the situation. Syria has been a designated state sponsor of terrorism since December 29, 1979, five years before the next designated state of Iran. Syria is a very important and strategic country and now more than ever has a large risk of being completely overrun by the newest terrorist group ISIS. The turmoil is possibly stemming initially from the result of a failed 1957 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) coup attempt to topple Syrian President Shukri al-Quwaitli. Ten years later in 1967, tensions rose again after the Six-Day War (Israeli-Arab War) which resulted in Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights, a large geographical area between the two countries. The US is currently bombing parts of Syria with drones, and have sent US Special Forces to assist and provide intelligence to the forces on the ground, but the US does not want to get into another war, making the conflict difficult. The question that will be answered in this paper will be, “Should the US become more involved in the Syrian conflict and potentially start another war with Russia?