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SUMMARY:The World Comes to Syria: the Globalisation of a Civil Conflict - 
 Mike Clark (Darwin College\, University of Cambridge)
DTSTART:20140610T121000Z
DTEND:20140610T130000Z
UID:TALK52149@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Katherine Bowers
DESCRIPTION:The Syrian Civil War is a globalised conflict. Fighting alongs
 ide Syrian rebels are jihadis from other Middle Eastern and Muslim states\
 , but also from across mainland Europe\, the UK\, and the USA. Fighting al
 ongside the Syrian government are jihadis from Iran\, Iraq\, Lebanon and f
 urther afield – including the USA. Additionally\, both the rebels and th
 e government benefit from arms and finance sourced and delivered through g
 lobal networks.  Although the foreign patronage enjoyed by each side is de
 cried by the other\, these fighters and sponsors are not simply partisans 
 in a civil conflict. Rather\, in many cases\, they have taken ownership of
  the conflict. For these actors\, the Syrian ‘Civil’ War is their war\
 ; the power to legitimise or delegitimise using the Westphalian binary of 
 ‘Syrian/foreign’ has been wrested from the Syrians. \n\nFocusing on th
 e global nature of the Syrian Civil War\, this paper assesses the fracturi
 ng of the state and the increased permeability of borders\, or indeed thei
 r total dissolution\, in this part of world. It asks what the increasing i
 nvolvement of sub-state and supra-state actors\, and the motivating factor
 s behind their involvement\, means for the Westphalian notions of ‘natio
 nal/foreign’ and ‘civil’ conflict in the region. Ultimately\, this p
 aper asks why the world has come to Syria\, and why this matters for the w
 orld.\n
LOCATION:The Richard King Room\, Darwin College
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