Arash Reisinezhad
Now that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has emerged as the victors of the Syrian civil war, it’s tempting to imagine the country restored to some semblance of stability. In truth, there is no stability to restore. As much as the civil war was a sectarian and ideological conflict, it was also always a war created and fueled by the country’s fundamental geography. The end of this chapter of war likely means the beginning of the next chapter of conflict.
Geography has always punished Syria. The country lacks significant natural barriers, both within its territory and along its borders. To the west lies the Mediterranean, a route for trade—and thus for military invasions. To the east lies the Euphrates River Valley. The south is bordered by desert and the north by the plains at the southern foothills of the Taurus Mountains. In essence, Syria’s geography offers neither external defenses to deter invasions nor internal strongholds as a last line of defense. Most of modern Syria’s borders are artificial rather than natural. The southern border is a straight line, and the eastern border is similarly arbitrary. This has resulted in fragile boundaries, contributing to Syria’s historical lack of independence and a weak national identity.
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