Syrian Bombing By US And Allies Unacceptable – OpEd

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The civil war in Syria for over six years now has been prolonged mainly due to the interference in the internal affairs of Syria by Russia and US and it’s allies. It is well known that Syrian government has been receiving direct support from Russia and the rebels fighting in Syria have been receiving direct and indirect support from US and it’s allies. Perhaps, the civil war in Syria between the government and the rebels would have ended long back in one way or the other, if Russia and USA have refrained from showing interest in the unrest in Syria.

In the last few weeks, there have been reports that Syrian army has been making gains over the rebels and entering their strong hold, which made it look that the Syrian government will have it’s way and the rebellion movement will be crushed.

One would find it difficult to conclude whether Syrian government is right or the rebels have legitimate stand, in view of the conflicting claims and allegations. However, the ground reality is that the economy of Syria has been shattered and thousands of innocent Syrians have lost their lives and many Syrians have suffered injuries crippling their lives, apart from the Syrians who ran to other countries as refugees.

Are there chemical weapons in Syria?

All of a sudden , in the last few days, news has been floated that chemical weapons have been used in the Syrian civil war, though Syria and Russia denied this. Photographs have appeared in several media showing the children in Syria hit by chemical weapons and how attempts were made to protect them. However, the Syrian government has called such photographs as fake and stage managed. One would never know.

In any case, US and allies carried out missile attacks at three locations in Syria, justifying their action by saying that such attacks were needed to eliminate the chemical weapons. British Prime Minister has claimed that there were no other motives for missile attack and it was only to protect the innocent civilians in Syria, pointing out the international regulation that ban the use of chemical weapons.

In this scenario, one cannot forget that US bombed Libya a few years back claiming the use of chemical weapons in the civil war there. Later on, US and allies claimed that weapons of mass destruction were stocked in Iraq and used this as an excuse to attack and bomb Iraq, which resulted in elimination of Saddam Hussain from the scene. Later on, investigation by United Nations proved that there were no evidence of stocking of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Neither US nor it’s allies expressed regret for attacking Iraq on the pretext of eliminating weapons of mass destruction , which were not found.

In the case of Syrian bombing, many people would wonder whether US and it’s allies are using the same strategy that they adopted in Iraq, to spread false news about the use of chemical weapons in Syria and use it as an excuse to attack Syria. Nobody would think that leadership of US and it’s allies would not indulge in spreading false information to suit their convenience and justify their actions.

Though Russia and Iran have said that they would retaliate against US and allies to support Syrian government , this may not really happen and Russia may really be satisfied by launching a war of words. In the present circumstances faced by Russia where it’s economy has several weak spots  it certainly cannot afford direct confrontation with US and allies.

Pot calling the kettle black

The claim of US and allies that missile attack on Syria is necessary to protect the life of innocent citizens in Syria is like the scenario, where the pot calls the kettle black. The fact is that US itself has large stock of chemical weapons and perhaps, the largest quantity possessed by any country in the world.

The fact is that US and allies have totally bypassed the United Nations Organisation and assumed that they have the right to police the world by themselves. UNO looks like a pathetic organization and nothing more than an academic discussion forum, with no country taking it seriously any more. Certainly, US and allies have significantly contributed to the act of belittling the UNO.

It remains to be seen as to whether chemical weapon stock has been really destroyed in Syria by the missile attack and whether any citizens have lost their lives due to such bombing.

US and allies vulnerable

In any case, such attack is not going to improve matters and would only make peace more difficult to achieve in Syria. Probably, US and it’s allies would have to face more threats of terror attacks on their soil in the coming days by armed militia ,who would try to take vengeance for the bombing of Syria.

After unwittingly allowing huge influx of Islamic refugees in Europe and with the possibility of the terrorists having smuggled themselves as refugees , Europe has now become highly vulnerable. Demographic changes are taking place at alarming rate in Europe and steep increase in population of muslims in UK with the number of mosques steadily increasing has been pointed out as an indication of the demographic changes taking place.

Are US and allies planning in vacuum?

Obviously, US and its allies cannot just rest, thinking that they have established their superior power by bombing Syria at their will. In the process, US and European countries may face retaliatory attacks from within.

One is not sure whether US and its allies have done their calculations carefully. They may not have really achieved anything worthwhile by bombing Syria. Are they planning in a vacuum?

N. S. Venkataraman

N. S. Venkataraman is a trustee with the "Nandini Voice for the Deprived," a not-for-profit organization that aims to highlight the problems of downtrodden and deprived people and support their cause. To promote probity and ethical values in private and public life and to deliberate on socio-economic issues in a dispassionate and objective manner.

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