ABSTRACT
Examination of the reciprocal relationship between internal and external Syrian conflict underscores the vital importance of using a theoretical framework in conjunction with an empirical examination based on both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Links between the Egyptian-Syrian conflict, the internal Syrian conflict and the Arab-Israeli conflict are particularly interesting because they involve both the state and system levels of research. By activating the Arab-Israeli conflict, Syrian leaders hoped that Egypt would be forced to devote its attention to the Arab cause instead of interfering in Syrian internal conflicts. The combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis was found to be particularly effective in the examination of Syrian conflict linkage. Qualitative analysis made it possible to discern the processes that both created links between the two types of conflict and gave them direction and influence. The Ba‘th – and even more, the neo-Ba‘th – succeeded in neutralizing the Nasserite linkage groups; during the neo-Ba‘th regime, the Egyptian-Syrian conflict was finally resolved.
