On the streets of Dimashq, Aleppo, Idlib, Homs, Deraa…Syrians welcome people with an outstretched hand while saying Marhaba (“Hello”). However, the once happy faces of the Syrian milieu are haunted by the thought of the Shabiha, the Mukharabat, the Syrian army and the deafening sound of mortars and raving MIG fighter jets dropping deadly rounds at low altitudes. There is war in the air.
On 31st January 2011, inspired by the protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, six young Damascenes organised the first major demonstration of the Syrian uprising. They prepared placards, modest in their message, calling on the Egyptian army not to kill Egypt’s young people and adding “Yes to freedom!”, and they posted an invitation on Facebook urging people to show their support by demonstrating outside the Egyptian embassy. Like the hazy Harmattan dust, the embers of the Arab spring have spread from their birth place in Tunisia to Libya, Egypt and across the Suez canal. A modest crowd of about 100 people turned up for the event, which at the time was only filmed by a Russian TV crew.
Little was it known that this little demonstration would be quelled with the most brutal force ever imagined. The Jisr al-Shughour massacre of 1980, Tadmor Prison massacre of 1980, and the Hama massacre of 1982 were brutal preludes to the reaction of the Syrian government. Despite the peaceful protests, the Syrian case turned bloody; pitting the Syrian government forces against the Free Syrian Army and other armed opposition elements.
The actions in Libya during the Arab Spring and the resultant debate for foreign intervention on the floors of the United Nations Security Council no doubt generated controversy. Aside from the first Gulf war in 1990-1991, the United States has always had difficulty pulling up resolutions for intervention into Middle Eastern conflicts. Iraq and Afghanistan continue to be present in the thoughts of international diplomats, Arabs and indeed the Islamic world. With this in mind, ‘Never again’ to American intervention remains the motto of the Middle East. Whilst the Libyan case was addressed tactfully, the response to the Syrian case among the world powers calls for some concern. For how long will the USA, UK, France, Russia and China continue to trade tackles and flex their muscles?
Syria is a strategic country of note. It holds the world’s fourth largest arsenal of chemical weaponry, its common border with Turkey lies at the NATO eastern frontier. There is still unfinished business between Syria and Israel, with only a cease fire rather than a peace deal or treaty preventing violence between the two.
In the quest for regional power, Syria remains strategic. From the formation of the Baath party to the days of the United Arab Republic, Syria has been a strategic ally for any serious contender for Arab dominance.
While Israel is viewed as a Zionist outpost of the United States and an unacceptable state to most nations of the Arab world (Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab nations to recognise Israel), the world powers continue to take sides in the conflict. With Israel finding a permanent ally in the US; the UK and France lend some sympathy while Russia and China try to counterbalance by backing the other side in the conflict.
The story of the Syrian dilemma calls into question the conscience of the civilized world. Everyday, Syrians wake up to the thought of an endless conflict. There is a school of thought that hypothesises the weakening of the Syrian regime. However, assassinations of some of the core members of the governing inner circle and occasional bombings of government safe points do not dispel the fact that countless Syrians are suffering. It is a tug of war with no foreseeable end: despite temporary gains made by the government and the opposition in different parts of the country, neither side can deliver a knockout blow.
The sooner the United Nations heavyweights realize this, the better. Ideologies should be put aside for the common good of the Syrian people. The failure and frustration of Kofi Annan must not be repeated in Lahkdar Brahimi!
Image: Reuters
About the Author
