ABSTRACT
After the outbreak of the Arab Spring, the UK distinguished itself from other EU member states by becoming, together with France, the vanguard of military strikes against the Libyan Gaddafi regime. Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, great changes have been observed in British policy on Syria. This chapter briefly reviews the evolution of the British stance on the Syrian civil war from 2011 to 2017. In the early days after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the UK adopted the overthrow of the Assad regime as one of its main objectives. The UNSC resolution on Syria failed to pass because of the veto of Russia and China in February 2012. The UK and other Western countries reacted strongly, planning to establish an international alliance to strengthen sanctions against Syria and provide greater support for the Syrian opposition.
