For more than 6 years we have been following in the news the dramatic situation of the conflict involving Syria, a civil war that has already caused frightening numbers. According to the United Nations, there are more than 400,000 dead and almost 5 million refugees since the beginning of the battle.

Recently some facts have further strained the situation. The Syrian government struck the rebels with a mighty attack using chemical weapons that killed 86 people, including 27 innocent children. Immediately the United States bombed a Syrian military base in retaliation for the use of chemical weapons and, if that was not enough, Russia was in favor of Syria and positioned its warships in the Mediterranean Sea to defend its ally. The eyes of the world are turned to this conflict that gains status of war between powers.

Understanding the conflict in Syria - Since 2000, when Bashar al-Assad took office after the death of his father Hafez, the Syrian population has been facing serious difficulties, such as unemployment, corruption, authoritarianism and repression by the government. The trigger for despotism came in 2011 when a group of youths were arrested and tortured by government security forces for painting revolutionary slogans on a school wall. From then onwards, the population began a series of manifestations influenced by the Arab Spring[1], asking for the exit of Assad. The government answered with violence, which reinforced the enthusiasm of the demonstrators.

Supporters of antigovernment groups began an armed revolution to defend themselves against the onslaughts of power. Thus, violence quickly took over the country. As time went by, civilians gave way to radicals and jihadists - partisans of the Islamic "Holy War." Among them are the self-named Islamic State and the Nusra Front, affiliated with al-Qaeda. The war was no longer a simple struggle for power, but also encompassed aspects of sectarian and religious nature, with various factions forming the opposition fighting both the government and each other.

The EI with its cruel tactics, taking advantage of the fragility caused by the civil war, began to attack the various battle fronts that were established, with the prospect of installing its caliphate, making the conflict more and more devastating. From 2014 onwards, allied troops from France, the United States and England began bombing in Syria to contain the advance of terrorists.

In 2015 Russia began a campaign to support the Syrian government, which had suffered major defeats in the fight against the rebels, which allowed the resumption of the city of Aleppo, the most important center after the capital Damascus, which had been conquered by the EI. In retaliation, the terrorists intensively challenged attacks on the world powers involved in the Syrian conflict through violent attacks. Allied countries have since invested more and more in security and in the fight against terrorism.

It is evident that the war has long resisted because it is fueled by the shadowy interests of both regional powers and Turkey, which provides conditions and armaments for the rebels, and Iran, which unconditionally supports the Syrian government, and international powers such as Russia, which has political interest in that country. In this way, the risk of a war involving other countries increases and may turn a regional conflict into an even greater battle.

In this context, the war in Syria becomes a problem for everyone, since it created an exodus of refugees, perhaps the largest in modern history, who depart mainly to Europe seeking asylum, which has generated a crisis in the countries of that continent. The UN estimates that $ 3.2 billion is needed to provide humanitarian aid to 13.5 million people - including six million Syrian children. About 70% of the population does not have access to drinking water, one in three people cannot meet basic food needs, more than 2 million children are not going to school and one in five people live in extreme poverty.

The consequences of a war in the present day - The planet Earth, since the emergence of man, has already crossed countless conflicts in different times and regions. Obviously, motivation, goals and especially armaments have changed a lot as time progresses and man progresses intellectually. The fact is that wars significantly alter the course of History, as they end up directly influencing civilizations, customs and territory.

The great concern is that, with the advent of technology, wars have reached devastating military power. The warriors left aside spears and swords to make room for gunpowder and fuze and nowadays, for chemical and nuclear weapons, which have a great power to decimate entire civilizations. The last major war for example, known as World War II, was the most lethal conflict in Human History, resulting in approximately 70 million deaths, and was the only one to date with the use of nuclear weapons.

The consequences of a war are numerous, ranging from political and economic problems to the death of innocent civilians, leading to serious humanitarian issues. We must not think only of deaths, but also of mutilated people, widespread diseases, psychological problems and trauma of all kinds, bearing in mind that the overwhelming majority of victims are ordinary human beings - who are not concerned with geopolitics or with the military strategies – and who only want their children to live and grow well. They are people who do not care about "national security," but about personal safety, food, shelter, medical care, and peace.

Of course, the great fear of these times is that a world war involving the greatest military powers of the world, with all its military power of chemical and nuclear weapons will happen. Based on the atomic attack on Japan at the end of World War II, which instantly victimized 200,000 people and thousands more over the years as a result of radiation, we can have an idea of ​​what would be a major armed conflict today.

The War in the Light of Spiritism - At some point, most of the good people and especially those who are the victims of the war have already asked why the battles exist, or still, why God allows them to happen. To answer these questions from the Spiritist point of view, we must consider three important aspects:

1 - Free will: Man is given the right to think and act. This is what we call free will. Without it, we would be puppets in the hands of God, as the Spirits explained to Allan Kardec in the works of the Encoder: "For he who is free to think, has also the freedom to do. Without free will, man would be a machine"[2]. It is based on our freedom to act that we make mistakes, which sometimes cause suffering to ourselves and others. If we are free in our actions, we cannot hold the Creator responsible for the consequences of our actions.

2 - Moral Progress: The quality of our actions is directly proportional to our moral progress; the more evolved is the Spirit, the nobler will be his deeds. Morally developed Spirits do not cause wars, while ignorant Spirits tend to seek conflicts to solve their interests. Wars are nothing more than the reflection of primitive instincts of Spirits still evolving.

3 - Law of Cause and Effect: As nothing happens by chance, Divine Providence is in charge of making the necessary adjustments, even in purely human attitudes; therefore, wars - in addition to accelerating the collective progress of reincarnated Spirits - also serve as atonement for the previous executioners. If we look at the Syrian conflict in a superficial way, we can imagine that the refugees of now were the killers who in the past expelled the natives from their lands through the wars.

Allan Kardec talks about wars in The Book of Spirits, Let us see: 

742. What causes man to go to war? - Predominance of the animal nature over the spiritual and the satisfaction of passions. In the state of barbarism, people only know the right of the strongest, and that is why war, for them, is a normal state. As man progresses, it becomes less frequent because he avoids its causes, and when war becomes necessary, he knows how to add humanity to it. 

743. Will the war disappear one day from the face of the Earth? - Yes, when men understand righteousness and practice the Law of God. Then all people will be siblings.

744. What is Providence's purpose in making war necessary? - Freedom and progress.

Man evolves intellectually in stride, but he is not capable of perfecting morals in the same proportion. He uses his intelligence against himself to produce weapons of mass destruction, guided by satellites that can reach long distances and annihilate entire communities. On the other hand, he has not yet been able to cultivate tolerance, love and compassion.

Presently, when the planet Earth passes through transition, we will be more clearly submitted to the Law of Destruction. Many Spirits here reincarnated enjoy the last opportunity in the terrestrial world, running the risk of being exiled to planets compatible with their degree of evolution, since the march of progress is continuous. Let us, therefore, do our part by cultivating love and working for peace.

References:

MAGNOLI, Demetrius, History of Wars. 3^rd ed. Sao Paulo: Contexto, 2006.

KARDEC, Allan. The Book of Spirits: principles of the Spiritist Doctrine. Translated by Guillon Ribeiro. 86th ed. Rio de Janeiro: FEB, 2005.