Syria: Proxy War in the 21st Century

The Syrian Civil War is currently a multi-faction civil conflict being fought between the Ba'athist Syrian Arab Republic and several rebel opposition groups. The Syrian Arab Republic is led by President Bashar Al-Assad and his authoritarian regime. The Assad Regime has been supported by it’s long time ally, the Russian Federation. Opposition forces have been supported by a collation between western nations, led by the United States. This conflict has been frequently compared to the cold-war era proxy wars of the 20th century. If the Syrian Civil War is truly a proxy war between the United States and Russia, it brings to question the validity of the end of the Cold War. Through comparison to previous proxy wars between the Soviet Union and the United States, we can ascertain if we are still locked in conflict with another world power.