Reshuffling Ethnic Composition of Cities by Migration in Syria

Abstract

It is argued that the Arab Spring increased the motivation for democracy and led to clashes between the regimes and the citizens. Nevertheless, this expectation turned into a Civil War in Syria in 2011, causing the destruction of cities and displacing nearly half of the population. After the civil war, which started in 2011, there have been major ethnic shifts in Syria. Some Sunni Arabs, Kurds, Turkomans, Nusayris and Christian people, minorities in their areas, are forced to leave their homes. So the ethnic composition of the country is changed. This article draws attention to a potential crisis in the Middle East due to large shifts in ethnic populations. The Arab Spring and civil war in Syria triggered a process of federalisation in Syria as ethnic composition of cities and governorates shifted by forced migrations. IDP mobility in Syria is viewed from the perspective of Assad’s “Useful Syria” doctrine and the ethnic structure that is tried to be created within the framework of the safe de-escalation zones created in the Astana process.