The World is Watching: The Syrian Conflict & War Crime

In the incremental time between blog posts, I keep my eyes glued on all of my news apps and catch glimpses of new stations at night trying to find a spark to inspire my next post. However, I find myself deciding and then getting caught up in a new story, changing my mind and rethinking my area of discussion every couple hours really. It is a little troubling to waver and switch my train of thought as much as I am inclined to with such an outpouring of salient happenings both domestically and internationally, and usually this ends with me waiting until last minute to write something because the headlines are changing everyday and kairos is paramount in current events.

The world stage, to allude back to my first post and title, is such a fast paced and intricately design place. What has become evidently clear is that the overwhelming majority of news splattered all over every news site and channel is negative and portrays the reality of violence and hostility that surrounds our lives and the nature of our foreign affairs. By gathering all of these headlines and conflicts, it has become evidently clear to me that our foreign policy and the way we handle ourselves on the world stage is not accidental at all- it is a reaction and a precaution to events, conflicts, wars, and threats that are the reality of the world. In my first post I proposed the idea of America's perpetual war and our tendencies to get involved in everything, and I think that through my new endeavor of finely combing through news and soundbites, I see that it is a necessary reaction.

Violence, war, and terrorism. Sickening and usually senseless inhumane entities that plague the international system and change the landscapes of our lives. With most of the headlines containing some new act of terror in a far away country, are we becoming indifferent to it? Do Americans that are seemingly worlds away from violence in other countries becoming desensitized because it is not happening here? 

On April 4th 2017, the worst chemical attack in years occurred in Syria turning a northern rebel-held town, Khan Sheikhoun, into a toxic kill zone. The countries violent and devastating 6-year civil war has seen immeasurable tragedies: "It has claimed the lives of at least 400,000, according to a United Nations estimate released a year ago. More than 5 million Syrians have fled the country and more than 6 million more have been displaced internally, according to UN agencies" (CNN). This chemical attack has been viewed and felt around the world- inducing an international outrage over the ruthlessness of the Syrian government throughout the war.

According to an article for the New York Times,  the death of as many as 100 people is attributed to the severely poisonous bombs which may have contained a nerve agent, a banned chemical. The deadly attack tore apart civilian families, and saw children writhing, choking, gasping or foaming at the mouth before passing. They said the toxic substance spread after warplanes dropped bombs in the early morning hours with no warning. Even some  rescue workers and those there as humanitarian relief grew ill from inhaling the chemicals and collapsed from proximity. Just a few hours after the initial attack that devastated those close in the town, another airstrike was directed at one of the clinics treating victims and attempting to help those in pain.

source 

The event is a cause for solace and a cry to work towards resolve, and I feel devastated looking at the horrors of footage and pictures from activists and eye-witnesses from that day. However, the international outrage and the relevance of foreign affairs comes in to play when many western leaders, including America, are pointing the finger at Assad- the Syrian president. 

While Assad denounced chemical weapons nearly 4 years ago, the attacks are currently being accredited to Assad's regime despite denying it entirely. However, denying the chemical attack is nothing new as Assad has denied involvement in any attack involving chemicals the past 4 years despite evidence to the contrary. The Syrian miliarty released a statement which accused the rebels of carrying out the attacks on themselves, and insisted that the insurgents accused the army of using toxic weapons “every time they fail to achieve the goals of their sponsors" (source).

However much sense that does (not) make, only the Syrian military had the ability and motive to carry out such a precise aerial attack like this one. The world is viewing this horrying situation as a war crime, and is likely to put a serious hold on peace talks that were in the works. The Western world condems the attacks and what they mean for peace and order in the Middle East: "On Tuesday night, Britain, France and the United States were pushing the Security Council to adopt a resolution that condemns the attack and orders the Syrian government to provide all flight logs, flight plans and names of commanders in charge of air operations, including those for Tuesday, to international investigators" (New York Times).

Brief look into the Syrian conflict from Dr. Farida who was working in Aleppo when government forces took control.

While we look on at the tragedies that occurring throughout the world and are affecting children our age and tearing apart lives and communities, we have an obligation to stay informed. I believe we are obliged to not let war crimes and inhumane acts go unnoticed, and that is a relevant outlook on all of the horrifying things going on in our country and throughout the world. This attack must not go unnoticed- Syria must not go unnoticed. From this alone, our government will have policy choices to make within the next few days to follow up with the possible violations on Assad's part and issues securing the peace that was possibly on its way beforehand.