So, what can be done for Syrians?

As the horrors of the recent earthquakes in Türkiye continue to be reported, it is clear that delivering aid relief to Syrians affected by these natural disasters is extremely challenging. Not only does Syria remain largely diplomatically isolated which complicates bilateral and multilateral governmental aid, the country is hazardous and complicated to enter into, particularly at the Turkish-Syria border, where the only UN approved crossing is not operative due to the scale of destruction. Moreover, in northern regions of Syria, pockets of anti-regime rebels persist, but due to the sectarian fracturing present amongst anti-Assad forces that has cemented itself since the civil war began in 2011 – from Islamist extremists to Kurdish groups to name a few – coordinating an effective, urgent humanitarian response faces many social, political and structural hurdles. As reported by Ellen Cameron of London Politica, all aid has to be approved by Türkiye before it can enter Syria which is hugely problematic as Türkiye has actively been fighting Kurdish rebels in northern Syria for years, and additionally, significant sanctions from the Western world obstruct humanitarian efforts.

Therefore, whilst humanitarian relief and action should be the first priority focused on by the states in question and the international community, the long-standing domestic, regional, and geopolitical issues are inevitably standing in the way. As such, whilst time is most certainly of the essence, a serious question looms over the “West”; should sanctions and the long-standing diplomatic isolationist approach to Syria be temporarily wavered in order to assist Syrians in need, or would such an approach contribute to the already growing acceptance of Assad’s Syria after more than ten years of a brutal and horrifying internationalised civil war that has seen millions flee as refugees and hundreds of thousands killed from all sides?

What is clear is that the longer aid takes to reach Syrians through Idlib’s Bab al-Hawa crossing, the greater suffering Syrian survivors will face as devastating follow-on effects of these earthquakes begin to emerge in a country already heavily destroyed and lacking necessities, such as safe shelter, medicine, food, water and education. As the BBC reports, before the earthquakes, a staggering 4.1 million Syrians were reliant on humanitarian assistance. Whilst the journalistic and diplomatic worlds have more access to Türkiye during this unprecedented crisis, Syria must be of an equal priority in these first days after this crisis, and into the long-term consequences.