3 - Legal Classification of the Conflict(s) in Syria

Summary

This chapter seeks to identify and classify the different legal types of conflicts that have occurred in Syria since violence erupted in March 2011. It reviews the legal definitions and international and non-international armed conflicts, and the significance of the distinction between them. The author argues that multiple conflicting wars – both international and civil - have been and are being fought in Syria. Using the earlier theoretical discussion, the chapter analyses different international conflicts (which she argues exist between Syria and the US-led coalition, Turkey and Israel) and the civil wars (between Syria and the anti-Government armed group; among various armed groups; and between foreign states against armed groups, namely ISIS and the YPG, located and operating in the territory of Syria. The conclusions emphasise the importance of conflict classification to understanding and analysing the violations committed during the Syrian war(s), and their importance to peace and justice in post-conflict Syria.