Deniz Ülke Kaynak

This study examines why the Syrian civil war evolved into a permanent conflict dynamic through Edward Azar’s Protracted Social Conflict (PSC) theory. While the conflict is often explained through sectarian divisions, geopolitical competition, and the political involvement of regional and global actors, this article argues that deeper structural factors have sustained the violence. Using a historical-sociopolitical qualitative approach, the study analyzes the Syrian armed conflict through Azar’s core components: identity-based fragmentation, social exclusion, political exclusion, unmet basic human needs, social security concerns, and external intervention. The findings indicate that weak national identity, persistent social exclusion, and the concentration of political and economic power among specific identity groups undermined state legitimacy and contributed to the persistence of the internal armed conflict. The study also shows that the political involvement of regional and global powers through proxy warfare expanded the conflict beyond domestic boundaries, linking it to broader international armed conflicts and regional struggles.