SYRIA- A NEMESIS OF WORLD POWERS?

On the streets of Dimashq, Aleppo, Idlib, Homs, Deraa...Syrians welcome people with an outstretched hand while saying Marhaba (“Hello”). It is however shattering to note that the once happy faces that lit the Syrian milieu is haunted by the thought of the Shabiha, Mukharabat, the Syrian army and the deafening sound of mortars and raving MIG fighter jets dropping deadly  rounds at low altitudes. No doubt, there must be 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 hamattan dust, the embers of the Arab spring had spread from its birth place in Tunisia to Libya, Egypt and across the Suez canal it found solidarity among the youth of Syria. A modest crowd of about 100 people turned up for the event, which at the time was only filmed by a Russian TV crew!

Filming by Russia?...Yes Russia for no undertones! Little was it known that this little demonstration would be quelled with the most brutal force ever imagined! The fact that Syria had been governed by emergency rule for over three decades and the Jisr al-Shughour massacre of 1980, Tadmor Prison massacre of 1980, and the Hama massacre of 1982 gives the prelude of the reaction of the Syrian government to any form of uprising. From the peaceful protests, the Syrian case turned bloody; pitting the Syrian government forces against the Free Syrian Army and other armed opposition elements. Thus, the Syrian senario began to trend the 2011 Libyan uprising.

The drenching of Libya in the Arab spring and the resultant debate for foreign intervention on the floors of the United Nations Security Council no doubt generated ripples. Aside the first Gulf war in 1990-1991, the United States had had a heck of time pulling up resolutions for intervention into middle eastern conflicts. This calls to question the Iraq and Afghanistan mess- a stench that irks the thought of international diplomats, Arabs and indeed the Islamic world. With this in mind, ‘Never again’ to American intervention remains the unsung parlance in the middle east. Whilst the Libyan case was addressed tactfully, the respite shown to the Syrian case among the world powers calls for some concern. The question is for how long will the carnage in Syria continue while nemesis brings to bare the unwholesome actions of the permanent members of the Security council? For how long will USA, UK, France vs Russia and China trade tackles, and flex their veto muscles?

Syria is a strategic country to note. It holds the world’s fourth largest arsenal of Chemical weaponry, its common border with Turkey lies at the NATO eastern frontier. It is still unfinished business between Syria and Israel. Both belligerents only ceased fire—No peace deal/treaty!.

On 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! Little wonder the Syria-Iran alliance which has Hezbollah and Hamas as its protegee to counterbalance 1979 peace accord between Israel and once friendly Syria friendly Egypt.

Tartus elucidates another flash point in the Syrian quagmire. A Russian Naval outlet to the Mediterranean, the divergent interplay of world powers underscores some salient undertones.

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), it is consequential for the world powers to take sides in the conflict. With Israel finding a permanent ally in the US, the UK and France too may lend some sympathy to the allied cause while Russia and China try to counterbalance by backing the other party to the conflict.

The story of the Syrian dilema calls to question the consience of the civilized world. Everyday, Syrians wake up to the thought of an endless conflict, there’s a school of thought that the Syrian regime is weakening. Assassinations of some of the core members of the governing inner circle and occasional bombings of government safe points may lend some credence but that does not dispel the fact that countless Syrians are suffering from the pangs of an endless conflict. 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 heavy weights 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!.