I have always learned, that in order to figure out politics, you have to (excuse my language) wade through the BS to get to the political truth. Here is my interpretation of that truth.
Tensions keep rising in Syria as the chemical attack from Aug 21 stresses the nations of the world. Over 1,300 have died from the chemical attack, and are still counting. Many questions spawn in international and national legislatures such as, “Should we intervene in Syria because of this?” “Did the Syrian government use chemical weapons?” Well with all the opinions out there, both belligerent and not, I shall lend you mine in hopes of understanding.
“Let me be clear: The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders, by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. By any standard it is inexcusable, and despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable.”: – John Kerry: Secretary of State of the United States of America
Simply said, I doubt that the Syrian government would use chemical weapons. I’m not saying that they didn’t use them, nor am I saying that they did, I’m just saying that it’s extremely strange that the Syrian government would use chemical weapons, despite what John Kerry says to be an indisputable, undeniable truth.
Why Chemical Attacks May Spur Military Intervention – The Short Answer
Let’s start with what happened before the chemical strike. On Dec 3rd, President Obama warned Syria that using chemical weapons would cross the red line, and that it’s usage would cause the U.S to intervene. Though you may ask why the U.S hasn’t intervened before, when thousands of innocent bystanders were killed by their own government, the restrictions laid down upon by both Russia and China’s UN vetoes put political pressure on the US to not intervene. Going against these vetoes in the United Nations would be seen as sort of a infliction upon Russia and China’s sovereignty, and would cause havoc in international relationships.
Therefore, the US turned to chemical weapons. What the US government hasn’t said when publicizing their accusations on Syria was the existence of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which basically restricted all production and usage of chemical weapons. This convention being signed by the majority of the world, besides Syria and others, can give America what they needed. A justifiable, international justification for a strike against Syria, that can overcome political pressure. They can use this convention during UN meetings to gather international support and justification for a military intervention.
“How can the government use chemical weapons, or any other weapons of mass destruction, in an area where its troops are situated?” he said. “This is not logical. That’s why these accusations are politically motivated, and a recent string of victories of the government forces is the reason for it.” – Syrian President Bashar Assad
Now here is the reason why accusations on Syria are strange. If we look at the Syrian government perspective, why would I want, in light of this recent threat from the most powerful military nation in the world, to use chemical weapons when it’s their only, single best justification to attack us? So Syria “switched” their method of massacre, just to get the most powerful militaries to strike them, in a civil war they’re already winning? Quite simply, they would get crushed.
Although I would personally say that in the start, massacring their own people was a stupid, horrible act, I don’t think the Assad Regime is stupid enough to commit this blunder. It really would be an illogical response in the face of danger.
Not only is this fact one reason why it’s strange that the Syrian government would use chemical weapons, there’s also America’s “evidence.” Evidence that supposedly caused many in the U.S government to say that Syria “undoubtedly”, “undeniably”, used chemical weapons. Very strong words in the world of politics. In light of this claim, there is no single piece of evidence that the US has ever shown to the public that can truly prove Syria’s initiation of chemical attack.
There is however, this public statement made by the White House:
“Last Wednesday, in the hours after a horrific chemical attack east of Damascus, an official at the Syrian Ministry of Defense exchanged panicked phone calls with a leader of a chemical weapons unit, demanding answers for a nerve agent strike that killed more than 1,000 people. Those conversations were overheard by U.S. intelligence services, The Cable has learned. And that is the major reason why American officials now say they’re certain that the attacks were the work of the Bashar al-Assad regime — and why the U.S. military is likely to attack that regime in a matter of days.”
Now it’s really unknown if this went the way that they said. Perhaps a Syrian soldier went beyond his bounds? Maybe a rebel launched it instead? Or the Syrian government actually did initiate this attack? Or worse yet, this information is fabricated, or lacks information. Either way, we have already concluded that the stupidity of the Syrian government actually initiating this attack (inviting the west), is a factor in this issue. As we can see, this problem is more complicated than what is simply said on the news. Or as the Vlogbrothers say,
“As always, the truth is complicated”
‘U.S invasion of Iraq’
Now I certainly don’t know who initiated this chemical attack. I can only say that jumping to conclusions is the worst thing to do. Back even to the Iraq Invasion, when American Intelligence stated that Iraq was developing “weapons of mass destruction,” lead to one of the biggest blunders in world history. It also showed us how much faulty intelligence, an ethnocentric view, a hyped-up government, and a flimsy justification can inflict harm to countries, it’s people, it’s cultures, and it’s worldviews. It can be seen to deduction, that Syria shows this stark resemblance to the Invasion of Iraq. Let’s just hope that it won’t end up to that.
Syria has recently allowed the United Nations to inspect their country for this accusation. I can only suggest that we wait for a non-nationalistic entity like the U.N to finish investigating the issue, and post-pone military intervention in the mean time. That is my opinion. Of course in the mean-time, there will most likely be many killings in Syria as the civil war goes on. To that, I can only say that for the sake of preventing something worse, in light of China and Russia’s veto, and Iraq/ U.S’s bloody history, that knowing the full issue is of the utmost importance.
Thanks for reading!
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Syrian_civil_war_(September%E2%80%93December_2012)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/08/26/us-secretary-of-state-kerry-syria.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca2hiDh75GI
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/kind-substance-kill-hundreds-syria-article-1.1438964
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_Weapons_Convention
Pictures In Order:
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/topstories/2013/08/26/hi-kerry-syria-cp-04911375.jpg
