So, I know on this subreddit the rule is history is 20 years before now but this question is less about the specifics of the war and more about how historians work.
Do professional historians also have a general 20 year rule? I imagine during a situation such as a war, we will need to try and preserve what we can now regarding useful primary sources on the ground so that historians down the road will have help...
Do any of you all know any historians who are engaged in the current conflict in anyway to preserve history or what now?
I'm using the Syrian Civil War as an example but I'm just curious in general regarding any answers about how historians interact with contemporary events...
There really isn't a set time limit. I've seen a couple Calls for Papers that dealt with some aspect of the Syrian Civil War, especially in regards to refugees and chemical weapons. If I recall correctly- I'd have to check H-net to actually the the things- most of them were comparative in nature or thematic, as in looking for parallels to aspects of the Syrian Civil War. Usually there will be some papers that directly address the topic, but most will simply take up the theme.
All this is to say, some probably have already, but as it's still ongoing it's more likely going to be a while before you see a monograph covering it.
They've been doing so for a while already. What makes you think they haven't started yet? They started analyzing it the millisecond after it started.
Historians can begin studying and analyzing an event the moment it occurs. There isn't some formal written or informal unspoken rule about needing to wait a certain period of time. Everything that has happened for which we have a record is history, even if it just occurred a millisecond ago. The 20-year rule is just something this sub uses to eliminate discussion of modern political situations that inevitably lead to comment slap fights.
Indeed, I think it can be useful for historians to analyze current events from a historical perspective as events occur. The passage of time gives contextual benefits for making the most comprehensive possible analysis of an event, but that doesn't mean you can't also start studying it right away and then possibly revise your analysis as time passes.