No pain, no gain – A long way to go.

As a result of the undeniable power of dictatorial governments, the powerless are often left with no choice but to refuses any attempt by the Kremlin to declare its mission accomplished. Similar to this civil war, questions have been raised regarding the ongoing tumultuous fight in Syria. What confidence can anyone have that the civil war in Syria will reach a definitive conclusion – the ousting of the Ba’ath Party government and the establishment of a democratic regime?

The battle taking place in Aleppo is a case in point. As Syria’s second largest city it will provide the turning point so desperately sought in a civil war that has already claimed 120, 000 lives. In practice this is proving to be an elusive concept. The forces loyal to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hold the west of the city, and the Free Syrian Army hold the east. The regime has only committed troops on the frontline, but is reluctant to throw in the rest of its ranks, opting to shell and bomb from air. Questions and theories have been raised as to why there has been no serious attempt to recapture the city, one of them being the fear of defections if units become detached from their officers. But in theory, it is clear that it would be relatively easy and the probability of a successful recapture of Aleppo is very high. Despite this, there has been no movement by Assad’s forces.

Similarly, the fight from the rebels’ perspective is not going well either. Although fighting for the democratic rights of their people, the rebels’ presence has been contested by much of the city’s population. The insurgents are not seen as liberators, but as harbingers of terrible suffering. The Free Syrian Army are not only ill equipped to fight Assad’s forces, but exceedingly visible enough to attract the regime’s aerial firepower. Additionally, in what looks like a deliberate strategy by the regime, Assad’s warplanes are also using bigger bombs in civilian areas. If this is a deliberate strategy by the regime, it may be working. Aleppines blame the Free Syrian Army for military operation in the city, rather than the brutal response in Damascus. Whatever the cause, it is evident that the rebels are on their own and are not getting the support in the city that they received in the countryside. This is not just the demographic of Aleppo but also Damascus, where support is dependent on whether the insurgents are local. With the Free Syrian Army losing ground and possibly cohesion it is clear that the militarisation by the balance of power is not working.

At the rate that this civil war is developing, it is only sensible to conclude that there is a long way to go. Similar to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, where massacres were happening regularly, matching the regime’s firepower with an equivalent one appears to be the moral thing to do. It would provide a short-term answer to those who say another Bosnia is unfolding before our eyes. If our government, America and all of the United Nations were to join forces together and support the Free Syrian Army, the day where democracy takes precedence in such a war-torn nation will come to light. Much like the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, the rebels must be supported and the commoners must be convinced that this war will end. After having lived 30 years under the authoritarian rule of Mubarak, the voices of the Egyptians were heard, and the Mubarak government was dissolved.

Only by starving this fire of all of its external supplies of oxygen and support will the incentives to come to the table increase. This requires sustained pressure from all sides. As such our government needs to do much more in either aiding the Free Syrian Army, stating our stance on this civil war, or holding a political discussion with the leaders of both parties.