Syria, a global conflict. By Ivan Martinez

September 7, 2013.

Syria, a global conflict

An intervention is discussed                                                                                                   by Ivan Martinez

International news focus on Syria which is the hub of a possible military conflict that would involve the participation of powerful rival countries. Following is a summary of the most relevant aspects.

Syrian Arab Republic is a country in Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Iraq to the east, Turkey to the north, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest. Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, such as Kurds, Shiites, Armenians, Turks, Christians, and Arab Sunnis; the latter make up the majority of the population. Damascus is the capital and the population exceeds 20 millions.

Since 1963, the power is in the hands of the Baath party. Hafez Al Assad governed from 1970 to 2000, when he died, without allowing opposition parties and represses any protest movement. He was succeeded by his son Bashar Al Assad who have the support of the armed forces and the Shiite Muslims; also He maintains a good relationship with Russia and China. In 2011 the civil war broke out, it is between the troops of President Bashar Al Assad and the opposition forces trying to overthrow him. The protests in Damascus and other cities of Syria began on January. In June and July the Syrian army killed hundreds of demonstrators. In January 2012 opposition groups led by Riyad Al Asaad formed the free army of Syria which concentrated forces on Homs. This city was bombed in February by the forces of Bashar Al Assad. The shock produced nearly 500 dead and provoked condemnation from different countries, led by USA. In July 2012 the rebels attacked Damascus and Aleppo but were repelled; since that month, bloody battles have been occurred almost every day.

Some towns near Damascus were attacked with chemical weapons on last August 21, and the death toll exceeds 1000, most of them didn´t have physical wounds. Officials from the United States, France, Israel, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Canada think that the Syrian government is responsible for the attack; officials from Russia and Iran, Syria's closest allies, think it was the rebels. Now, the international community studies the possibility of carrying out a military attack on Syria.

Yesterday, leaders from 10 countries of the group known as G-20 have declared at the close of the Summit held in Petersburgo (Russia) that "the world can't wait for failed and endless processes that all they do is increase suffering in Syria and regional instability". In this meeting, Obama explained his position in favor of an attack, recalling that the rules are to carry out their. The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, confirmed that his country as well as Brazil, India, China, Indonesia, and South Africa did not support the request of the United States to intervene in Damascus. Putin returned to give their support to the Syrian regime. "Russia help from outside Syria in case of intervention," said the Russian leader.

With more than 100,000 deaths and two million refugees this situation is a big problem, even if there had been not use of nerve gas. But maybe the problem is murder, not the methods. The moral indignation is not a reason enough to start a war. On the other hand, how can a responsible government turn a blind eyes when it is killing large numbers of innocent people?, therefore this is also a major dilemma.