The case of Syria illustrates the consequences of Western inaction. For years, Syria has been the scene of international proxy wars – and there is no end of conflict in sight. IS was also able to establish its government for a while. Terrorist organisations exploited the power vacuum and are still present in the country. To date, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than half a million people seven million Syrians have been internally displaced (the highest figure worldwide) and almost seven million more have fled to neighbouring countries and Europe. No Western coalition did intervene in Syria, however – despite pressure from large swathes of the Syrian population and international human rights organisations, red lines crossed, and humanitarian emergency. The mission in Iraq, much like the engagement in Afghanistan, further strengthened widespread rejection of Western interventions. What is more, it came to be seen as a brutal occupying power. The US paid a high price, too: more than a trillion US dollars and 4,000 dead US soldiers. The invasion also contributed to the rise of the so-called Islamic State (IS). In the years since 2003, Iraq was engulfed by civil war and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians were killed Iran took the opportunity to expand its influence over its neighbour. The intervention by the US and its “coalition of the willing” in Iraq had far-reaching consequences for the country itself and the region beyond.
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