The geopolitical situation of states is changing faster than ever in today's globalized world. The intrastate conflicts in Syria and Ukraine are similar in many different factors. Russia and the United States of America, both influential actors in international relations, are involved in both conflicts, though on different sides of each. In this diploma thesis, Syria and Ukraine are analyzed and compared on the basis of three base groups of indicators, which in my opinion, best illustrate the whole picture and the capacity for leading a counterinsurgency effort. The diploma thesis shows that the chosen indicators have varying degrees of influence on the conduct of counterinsurgency in these two countries. At the start of both conflicts both the Ukrainian and the Syrian armed forces were weakened by the two decades long period of weapon system and organizational stagnation. In the first years of the conflict the Ukrainian army was wholly unable to respond effectively to the insurgency. The Syrian army was similarly, in 2015, when Russia came to provide help, on the verge of catastrophe. Foreign help in conducting counterinsurgency changed the tides in both conflicts, though this is best exemplified in the case of Syria. The conflicts are similar in some regards, though both conflicts are highly complex and are most defined by differing indicators which define the course and shape of counterinsurgency. The conflict in Syria is, for example, most defined by the religious schism between the majority Sunni and minority Alawite population. The Ukrainian conflict on the other hand is most defined by the ethnic dinamics between the majority Ukrainian and minority Russian populations. In this diploma thesis I am determining the effects of different indicators on the counterinsurgency in Syria and Ukraine.
|
