VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Syria's political atmosphere has begun to be in the spotlight of the world with elections taking place without involving the United Nations -UN and has received criticism from various countries. The United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy on Tuesday (25/05) released a statement calling the Syrian elections held on Wednesday (26/05) "neither free nor fair." The five Western countries claim that the election this time was a fraud orchestrated by President Bashar al-Assad, who according to Reuter ended up winning with 95% of the vote. These countries also noted that the elections in a conflict-ridden country like Syria should be under UN supervision "with the highest international standards of transparency and accountability".

What is interesting to note is the relationship between the United States and western countries with Syria. The civil war in Syria which began in 2011 is known to be very complex and has brought about many victims. Initially, the United States and its allies were involved because they wanted to overthrow the government of President Bashar Al Assad and the ISIS terrorist group in Syria and Iraq. Even so, The US avoided direct combat with Assad's supporting forces.

Recently, the US also blockaded Iran and Lebanon's Shiite militias Hezbollah from being permanently present in Syria for fear of threatening Israel. Meanwhile, Assad is in a position to continue to maintain his power by involving supporting countries such as Russia and China

The situation in Syria is indeed very complex, especially with the involvement of many countries, not only the US and its allies but also several other countries with their respective interests. It is hoped that resolution efforts will be taken by the parties by prioritizing the notion that this conflict has been too long with so many casualties.