https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/31/at-least-13-killed-in-car-bombs-shooting-in-syrias-north
The Syrian government and their largest ethnic minority, the Kurds continue to have issues as twelve people were killed in car bombs in a town called Azaz and another local village. The northwest part of Syria has been mostly controlled by the group since 2011. They run their own affairs and are in possession of most of the country’s oil supply. There has also been a report of trouble in the city of Hassakeh where the Kurdish people and the Syrian government share control. It was reported that some Kurdish people opened fire on a group of pro-government demonstrators. Though a Kurdish news site claims that the government has been harassing Kurdish neighborhoods and that it was just a response to the injustices.
I think that this is a very sad event and a concerning demonstration of violence by the Kurds and the Syrian government. Due to the fact that this issue has been going on for such a long time, it is surprising that there is still such constant violence in the forms of bombings and shootings. It is hard to determine which group is in the wrong when there are such contrasting accounts of what happened. On one hand, the Kurds could have started the violence for no reason other than to simply be aggressive but that doesn’t seem very likely. In these cases, it is mostly the government that attacks a certain group then forcing them to retaliate.
In the realm of international relations, I think it is interesting to look at Russia’s involvement with the Syrian government. Due to the fact that Russia itself is rich in oil supplies that is probably not the motivation for helping the government. I believe that it is more likely that Russia wants to help end group criticism and anger directed towards the government due to issues inside their own country. In recent weeks, protests against Putin’s rule have been prevalent. I think that by discouraging Kurdish disapproval of the Syrian government, Russia’s government is making a point to their people that any sort of potential separation or condemnation will not be tolerated.