So far as I know, it started as a vicious government reaction, but now (as you say) there's a war which would continue even in the absence of the Syrian government.
If the Syrian government had reacted better to the drought, would Syria have been as vulnerable to war?
Syria has been making vicious responses to protests for decades. It is only with hindsight that one can suggest that the latest round was a mistake. There are probably things that it could have done better for jobs and agriculture that might have avoided a tinderbox, but by 2011 it was probably too late.
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.
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