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Our Fence sitting is Fatal for Syrians

Our Fence sitting is Fatal for Syrians


Tribune: Ian Williams
Published: September 21 2014

Relativity was Einsteins great contribution to our understanding of the universe. Looking at the
horrors of Syria, relativity helps us to understand what is happening, but does little to help us
motivate a solution.We are being asked to support intervention because of the brutal beheadings
of Western journalists and aid workers. I am going to be callous here. The Wests biggest ally,
Saudi Arabia, has been beheading its own people, and visitors, for some time, but has had the
sense to refrain from decapitating foreigners. The United States record in botching executions
makes beheading seem relatively civilised, while Chinas execution rate (a public pistol to the
back of the skull) should make an invasion almost mandatory.

Maybe it is because journalists were involved our leaders feel impelled to action? However, the
fatality rate for reporters in Pakistan and Mexico, even Russia, could involve an invasion. The
death rate of journalists in Gaza is even higher, but not many calls to bomb Israel come from
Westminster or Washington.

Of course, the sectarian nature of the Islamic regime straddling the Iraqi-Syrian border is
repugnant, persecuting Yezidis and some of the most ancient Christian groups in the world, and
various Shiite groups not to mention drinkers and similar sinners. But then again, you would
have to look hard to find a Christian church in Saudi Arabia. let alone find Shia represented in
the higher echelons of any of the Sunni-governed Gulf States.

But enough relativity. The excuses our rulers make to incite support for action almost look
reasonable when compared with the outrage from some opponents of intervention. Some
peace-loving people have an inhuman tolerance for inhumanity when practiced by favoured
groups. We owe a collective duty of care to people suffering, even if it is because of a quarrel in
a far away country between people of whom we know nothing. In fact, we no longer have that
excuse. Technology ensures that we know as much as we care to know about the results of such
quarrels. International law now accepts the principle that the Responsibility to Protect over-
rides the idea of national sovereignty, but oddly many former proponents of proletarian
internationalism are now convinced of the untouchable virtues of sovereignty.

The people of Syria have been suffering for years now, from a regime that bombs and gases
them, from religious lunatics, and from some more secular predatory types that have been taking
advantage of the chaos. There is an inescapable argument for intervention: to take food and
protection to the millions driven from their homes, to stop the murderers and bring them to
justice and to help the survivors rebuild. And in realpolitik to stop war and instability spreading.
There is a legitimate argument about what form the intervention should take. Ideally it should be
legitimised by the United Nations, but sadly geopolitics stands in the way. Those who are
demonstrating against US intervention should have the integrity to demonstrate against Russia
and China for giving the aid and comfort to Bashar al-Assad that has encouraged him to carry on
killing his own citizens with impunity.



The idea that the rest of the world should unite with Assad to defeat the Islamic State begs many
ethical questions. He has murdered far more Syrians, and now Iraqis, than the Islamists, even if
he does it with machine guns and gas rather than knives and swords. There is a responsibility to
rebuild as well as to rescue and protect.

The country best equipped to intervene militarily, the US, is the worst equipped ethically and
methodologically to do it. Its interventions in the region have been disastrous and its reliance on
technology at no matter what cost to the civilians being rescued suggest serious problems. In
the desert, air intervention against Islamic units and convoys is feasible and even desirable. But
in no way should they be let near any conurbations like Fallujah or Gaza. Sadly , such
relativity leaves us impaled on the fence. Authorising action by committee is a necessary
exercise. Running things by committee is ineffective and dangerous. There are no perfect
solutions. Now Recep Tayyip Erdogan is re-elected one cannot help wondering if the world
should not entrust the job to the Turks with international back-up. He might even get the
Russians on board for it.

About Ian Williams

Ian Williams is Tribune's UN correspondent

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