SYRIA (Surrender Your Chemical Weapons Russia Is Avoiding America)

              

 

   A day in School (March 2011)

Never would you imagine a day in school will lead to one of the most harmful clashes in the world. In a nutshell school scene (15 school children) were arrested and reportedly tortured for writing anti-graffiti (writings or drawing scribbled) on a wall.  Yes you have read it right 15 innocent school children, this lead to peaceful protests.

Peaceful Protests

Protests began peacefully people wanted 2 things from the government

the kids to be released

Democracy & greater freedom for people in the country

 

Open firing by the Government Security Personnel (Army)

The government responded angrily and on 18^th March 2011 the army opened fire on protestors killing 4 people.

Following day they shot at mourners at the victims funerals, killing another person. People were shocked and angry at what had happened & soon the unrest spread to other parts of the country.

People demanded the resignation of Syrian President but he refused to do so. As the violence increased he offered to change some things about the way the country is run, but protestors did not believe him

So now it was a Battle between “Syrian (Army) vs Rebel Protestors

Role of Al-Qaeda

Role of terrorists is to create fear in people and kill them. The more innocent people die the more they are happy.

This is where Al-Qaeda involved itself with the people/protestors of Syria & now almost half of the rebel forces fighting against the Syria Government are  either Hard-line Islamists or Jihadists with Al-Qaeda Links

Split into around 1,000 fragmented (parts) cells the Syrian opposition consisted of at least 10,000 fighters who are Jihadists with strong links to Al-Qaeda, while another 35,000 are Hard-line Islamists.

Difference between Jihadist & Hard-liners

Jihadist has a global outreach while hard-liners only concentrated on Syria. So from a group of few protestors (who protested for the arrest of 15 school children) the rebel group had spread to a total of 1 Lakh rebel fighters, that too having a global link.

 

Help from Other Countries / Role of United Nations(UN) in 2012

UN has been very critical of the violence. But could not agree on how to help the ordinary people of Syria( Do note the world Could not). They did send peace monitors into Syria in April 2012 as part of the peace plan but they had to pull out after it became too dangerous

Western Countries like U.S.A & U.K support Anti-Government rebels, and in June 2013 a ban was lifted to allow European countries to send arms to help them.  On the other hand Russia and China opposed this move. Russia has strong ties with President Assad & Syrian Government also have helped them by sending weapons

 

Use of Chemical Weapons in Damuscus(City of Jasmine) Syria

Syrian opposition & activists say more than 1000’s of people killed in chemical attack or chemical weapons in Damascus by Syrian Government (UN still investigating who was the culprit)

What is Chemical Weapons?

Chemical Weapons are well known commercial chemicals put into standard munitions(War Material) such as grenades& artillery shells e.g.Chlorine Phosgene (a chocking agent) & Mustard  gas (which inflicts painful burn on the skin)

Chemical weapons was first used in World War-I(1914-1918)

As a result Geneva Protocol (1925) to ban use of chemical weapons. But this protocol did not prohibit the development, production or stockpiling of chemical weapons

 

CWC/OPCW & Role of India

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.

The agreement is administered by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is an independent organization based in The Hague, Netherlands.

The main obligation under the convention is the prohibition of use and production of chemical weapons, as well as the destruction of all chemical weapons. The destruction activities are verified by the OPCW. As of January 2013, around 78% of the (declared) stockpile of chemical weapons has thus been destroyed.

Currently 189 nations representing about 98 % of global populations have joined the C.W.C

Mission of OPCW= “To ensure credible transparent, regime to verify the destruction of the chemical weapons to prevent their re-emergence in any member state”

 

States not a member of OPCW

i)Syria

ii) Egypt

iii) North Korea

iv) South Sudan

v) Angola

 

Role of India (P.M  Mohan Finally Speaks and how well)

 

 

Given India’s own internal conflict situation (Maoist Insurgency), human right violation in Kashmir & North-East insurgencies, India for most of the turmoil period shied away from making any bold statements on Syria.

But India has always important contribution to make in any group of countries interested to bring peace. And Prime Minister DrManmohan Singh spoke at length in the just concluded G-20(is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 major economies: 19 countries plus the European Union) Summit at Moscow in September 2013.

India cautions against military intervention in Syria. India cast its lot with countries against military intervention in Syria.(It would wait for the report from UN inspectors to fix culpability).

India also continued to support the proposed International conference on Syria(Geneva-II) for bringing the Syrian government & the opposition to the negotiating table.

 

Role of Russia – The Hero??

As U.S.A was on the verge of attacking Syria (Russia and China strongly opposed it).  Russia is helping Syria in giving the chemical weapons to UN or placing chemical weapons under International Control. As per the agreement which took place between US President Barack Obama and his Russian Counter Part Vladimir Putin. And if Syria surrenders weapons to UN then America will call its forces back and will not attack Syria

Syrian Arab Republic agreed to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the commitment of the Syrian authorities to provisionally apply the Convention prior to its entry into force, the United States and the Russian Federation express their joint determination to ensure the destruction of the Syrian chemical weapons program (CW) in the soonest and safest manner.

Conclusion - Value of Life (2011 -2013)

So from a day in a school to one of the most talking points in the world Syria has seen it all. Over 1 lakh people (mostly children and women) lost their life. So 30 months of turmoil has damaged the country’s integrity totally and has given a message to the world that “ There is value for everything in this world but no value for Human Life”

 

Current News – UNITED NATIONS U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that as per the investigation by their officers “Syria used chemical Weapons”. Banned chemical weapons have been used on a wide scale in the Syria war & there has been clear evidence that Sarin gas killed hundreds of people in one major attacks.

Countries Supporting Rebels	Countries Supporting Syrian Government
U.S.A , U.K, France and Israel(Arab Spring)	Russia ,China and Iran

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References  - The Hindu

www.google.com

www.reuters.com

 

 

Name – ArunChettiar