The fire in Syria

When fighting first broke out in Syria in April 2011, no one could have predicted the trajectory it would take. At the time, it looked like another local rebellion that would be brutally put down by a ruthless dictator. In the seven years since then, the civil war in Syria has claimed at least half a million lives, injured over a million and left over 12 million people displaced. All global and regional superpowers have descended on Syria to fight out their various rivalries. If anything, the war is getting even more brutal as it enters its eight year. This week, the regime of Bashar al-Assad launched a major offensive on rebel forces in northern and southern Syria, forcing another 50,000 people to flee their homes. With Russian airpower on one side and Turkish shelling on the other, the people in these areas are besieged from all corners. There is plenty of blame to be apportioned for the situation in Syria today and many actors who deserve a share of it. Our condemnations must start with Assad himself who has chosen to wage such a dangerous war, destroying his country in the process; any talks he has held have also only been conducted with the sole purpose of perpetuating his rule.

But equal blame goes to the US and Russia, which have decided to use Syria as a proxy for their enmity. As always, the US was eager to militarily jump into a Middle Eastern country with little regard for the human toll it would take. By taking the side of the rebels against Assad, the US ended up creating space for the Islamic State and other militant groups. Its regular bombing raids added to the destruction. Russia then eagerly jumped to aid Assad as a way of spiting the US. It has shown the same callous disregard for human life with its constant aerial warfare. Equally culpable are all the powerful Middle-Eastern countries, with Iran and Hezbollah aiding Assad and Qatar being accused of funding the Islamic State. Saudi Arabia and Turkey too have become involved to prevent the war from spreading to their own territories. By putting their own parochial interests over that of the Syrian people, all these countries are morally responsible for the plight of the country today. Even now, after all this loss of life, not one actor in Syria has shown any dedication to peace. Until they do, there is no end in sight of this ruinous war.