2014/01/27 by Francesca de Châtel · 315 citations
Social Sciences · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Transboundary Water Resource Management #Agricultural risk and resilience #Environmental and Biological Research in Conflict Zones #Context (archaeology) #Climate change #Political science #Government (linguistics) #Politics #Political economy #Humanitarian crisis #Economic liberalization #Liberalization #Development economics #Period (music) #Economy #Geography #Sociology #Economics #Law #Archaeology #Refugee
paper · doi:10.1080/00263206.2013.850076
published in Middle Eastern Studies 50(4), 521-535 (Taylor & Francis)
openalex publication_date 2014/01/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
This article examines the role of drought and climate change as triggers of the Syrian uprising that started in March 2011. It frames the 2006–10 drought that struck north-eastern Syria in the context of rapid economic liberalization and long-standing resource mismanagement, and shows that the humanitarian crisis of the late 2000s largely predated the drought period. It argues that focusing on external factors like drought and climate change in the context of the Syrian uprising is counterproductive as it diverts attention from more fundamental political and economic motives behind the protests and shifts responsibility away from the Syrian government.