S2 Ep1: Ten years of war in Syria: an enquiry into the rights and wrongs of ‘intervention’

Syria is often seen as a tragic case of "non-intervention". One of several examples of where the international community failed to protect civilians from violence and atrocities. But, while there is an element of truth in this view, it also begs many other difficult questions about the rights and wrongs of intervention in societies dealing with intractable violence. 

In this podcast, we set out to challenge some of the assumptions in the existing debate. We argue that Syria has seen very wide ranging military interventions by a large number of foreign actors. It is simply wrong to see it as a case of "non-intervention", even from the West. And this poses a question around how interventions should be designed and undertaken. 

We review the history of the Syrian conflict, the different turnings points in a brutal war, and argue humanitarian protection must be the key principle underpinning any external intervention. 

Featuring Mary Kaldor, emeritus professor of Global Governance at the LSE and director of the Conflict Research Programme, and Mazen Gharibah and Zaki Mehchy, researchers on the LSE Syria Research Team. 

Producers: Luke Cooper, Azaria Morgan
Sound editor: Ben Higgins Millner

Intro music: The Drama by Rafael Krux (used for education purposes under Creative Commons License).  

This podcast series has been funded by the UK government’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) as part of the LSE Conflict Research Programme. The ideas expressed in the podcast do not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the UK Government/FCDO.