ABSTRACT
For decades, since the establishment of “Israel,” the MENA region has been plagued by crises, wars, internal conflicts, and sanctions, leading to repercussions on economic growth, social development, and institutional quality across the region. The Palestinian–Israeli conflict has been detrimental to the entire region from 1948 to the latest Hamas operation known as “Al-Aqsa Flood.” The absence of a “comprehensive peace” has increasingly become protracted, embroiling the entire MENA region in several crises. Among all, Syria received the most historical burden of this conflict; the country has endured a history of turmoil, involving more than 15 direct and indirect conflicts with “Israel,” successive waves of mass displacement, and geopolitical instability. One of the unresolved dilemmas is whether growth and prosperity in Syria is possible without, or feasible with, the resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and stability in the region. This chapter focuses on the course of conflicts and the multiplicity of stakeholder interventions as a reason aimed at ensuring the beggar-thy-neighbor chaos that prevailed and prevented the institutional building in the frontline state—Syria.
