Syrian Intervention Is Fight for Human Dignity Not Just Chemical Weapons

While the use of chemical weapons was the stated red line for the Obama administration, the real red line for many Syrians on the ground was crossed when the al-Assad regime began attacking its own people more than two years ago. Astonishing new information shows that more than 110,000 Syrians have been killed and one-third of the country’s population displaced.

The President in his speech explained how extremism thrives during times of conflict and instability. Extremist groups play into the hands of the al-Assad regime by increasing the sectarian rhetoric and taking the focus away from the crimes against humanity committed daily. Foreign governments and groups have manipulated the Syrian revolution to push their agendas and have funded extremist groups to engage in the military conflict. In fact, extremist groups emerged in Syria about 10 months after the revolution started. So long as the al-Assad regime is intact, these extremist groups can thrive. This reality makes it all the more pressing for the international community to intervene in this dire crisis and marginalize extremist voices.

The international community seemingly has two choices: either intervene in Syria now or later. However the longer it waits, the more dangerous the threats emanating from the region will become. It is yet to be seen how al-Assad will act based on his agreement to give up his chemical weapons to international control. In the end, the U.S. will have to lead in achieving a political settlement, and whether it is through the threat of targeted strikes or not, the international community can no longer afford to stand idly by as the human suffering escalates.

The humanitarian crisis in Syria is a historic moment when the leadership of the global community will either be applauded or shamed. If world leaders continue to turn a blind eye and pay weak verbal homage to the Syrian crisis, they will be silently accepting the deaths of men, women and children by torture, gas and murder.

When international norms against the use of chemical weapons and mass murder are being ignored and flagrantly disobeyed, the responsibility to protect falls upon the international community. Al-Assad truly acting upon his agreement to divest his chemical weapons supply is important, but it is just one aspect to a wider solution. The world cannot sit back and applaud a tyrant’s mere gesture for diplomacy until the Syrian people’s aspiration for human dignity is realized.