Although this blog has been mainly concerned with domestic
politics, this week I will be writing about a growing international concern—the
crisis in Syria. Currently, the Bashar al-Assad regime is slaughtering
thousands (an estimated total of 9,000 lives) of their civilians. In addition, this
year marks the highest amount of deaths and violence that Syria has witnessed
in quite sometime. With this spike in violence, thousands of refugees are
fleeing to their neighbor country—Turkey.
On April 1, 2012, 80 nations gathered in what was called,
“Friends of the Syrian People”, to discuss measures to stop the violence. Peace
agreements were discussed and sanctions were put into place. Most of the
nations pledged millions and millions of dollars to Syrian’s opposition, which
will then pay for the salaries and arms of the rebel fighters. The United
States, however, pledged communication and humanitarian relief instead of
monetary assistance, which will directly translate to support for the
opposition army. Some have proposed the creation of a War Crimes Tribunal
(almost like a Truth and Reconciliation Commission), but this would be
extremely difficult to expedite if the violence has not yet stopped.
The United Nations is currently urging Syria to implement a
peace plan urgently, and the cease-fire is supposed to take place on April 12th
according to officials, and the UN plans to send over peacekeeping troops to
assure that the Assad regime stays true to their word. However, with the rapid
increase in violence over the past few days, that agreement does not look like
it will be reached. Even though Assad stated that he would abide by the peace
agreement, he is still killing civilians and intensifying the violence, and he
is even instituting airstrikes now.
So, what should we do? How can we stop the Assad regime from
brutally murdering their people, and how do we turn Syria into a democratic
nation?
Well, that is certainly a good question that most states in
the world are currently trying to figure out.
There are pros and cons to every situation. If we do not
give money to the rebel army, then how will the people protect themselves? But
also, the more money we give them, the more arms they will be able to have
which has the potential to pro-long the violence and killings of the Assad
regime.
I think that the most diplomatic and peaceful measures
should be taken. Governments should employ trade sanctions to punish Syria, and
remove their diplomats in hopes of making President Assad abide by the peace
agreement that is currently supposed to happen. The UN needs to send
peacekeeping troops when this occurs, and it would be very beneficial if a War
Tribunal or a Truth and Reconciliation Commission is created to help the
civilians cope and transmission to a new era.
Whatever the solution maybe, lets hope that a ceasefire
takes place on April 12.