Saturday, October 4, 2014
Syria
The situation in Syria is trending #2 (after #1 Ebola) this week.
Use this thread to inform us of the situation there. Try to formulate your opinion on this issue. Don't be afraid to take a stance, or offer possible solutions - just remember to use credible sources to back up what you are saying.
Note: I'm having trouble uploading photos from my location this weekend, so check out some images to get a visual on what it looks like from a civilian viewpoint.
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This is my weekly post:
ReplyDeleteThe situation in Syria has been increasing in severity since early 2011, the start of the Syrian Civil war. Since then an estimated 190,000 people have been killed [1]. With rebel groups like ISIL gaining more power through social media etc. and war crimes being committed from both sides [2] it is hard to predict an end to this turmoil. The opposition has received help from countries like the U.S, Turkey, France and Saudi Arabia [2]. Currently Turkey is trying to help Kurdish fighters protect the city of Kobane from ISIS militants [3].
It’s clear that this is an international crisis, and I think more countries should take notice and try to take steps towards peace. It’s important to remember whom war effects and how many innocent people are caught in this bloodshed. I think that it’s also important that we focus on the displaced civilians and refugees this war is causing. Turkish officials estimate that over 130,00 Syrian Kurds have crossed the border in order to escape the violence in their country [4]. The U.N estimates that there are over 6 million internally displaced, this number has risen by 2 million in just the past two months, and continues to grow exponentially [1].
We need to be able to create more options for people fleeing their countries. The Red cross explains how there are only 3 options for Syrian refugees: flee to turkey or other neighboring countries, a task that could be more difficult than staying, to try and seek a safe spit within Syria, or to stay put and obey the ISIS rules [4]. If the war does come to an end, these refugees may not even have a city to go back to. I think that governments of the neighboring countries should come up with practical solutions to help offer a safe and accessible place for Syrian civilians. We can help by donating to the cause through organizations like the Red Cross etc.
Sources:
[1] http://www.mercycorps.org/articles/turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis
[2] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868
[3] http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/10/isil-closes-besieged-syrian-town-201410312225478616.html
[4] http://rt.com/op-edge/189800-turkey-syria-refugees-isis-cross/
I do think steps need to be taken towards peace but getting more countries involved could lead to new problems. Usually when countries enter a war torn area it only creates a bigger conflict. How could more involvement be regulated to prevent making things worse and starting an on the ground war on terrorism?
DeleteThis is my weekly blog post.
ReplyDeleteThis week, the total amount of Syrian refugees reached 4.25 million internationally displaced people as recorded by the New York Times(1), and 6.5 by Mercy Corps(2). The real value is impossible to know, because of illegal emigration and the tens of thousands of people fleeing the country in the wake of ISIS and the Iraqi attacks. The total death-count for the region has totaled almost 190,000 due to the Arab Spring, the Free Syrian Army, Iraqi raids, and ISIS/ISIL hostile takeovers(2). It was been called “the worst humanitarian disaster of our time”.
The disaster began with the Arab Spring – which singularly began in December of 2010(3) – but escalated in early 2011 when the government decided to take action against minor violent protests. Unfortunately, instead of quenching the small fires of rebellion which had sprung up around the regions of Damascus and Aleppo – the crackdowns were like throwing gasoline on a candle. In March of 2011, the generally civil and peaceful protests erupted into violence – beginning what is known known as the “Syrian Uprising”(4). Instead of backing down, the government announced martial law. A reported from Al-jazeera, a Syrian news source, said this:
“Demonstrators were going with olive branches, it was peaceful” until they were “surprised by live ammunition from some security forces in one of the flats of the street”.(4)
This day, dubbed “Deadliest day” - was the evening when the Syrian Uprising exploded into the full-fronted Syrian Civil War. This means huge change for not only the countries surrounding Syria, but also for countries like our own. In 2013, Canada accepted a total of 252,172 foreign immigrants(5). This means that 1.38% of our population because foreign, in just one year. Add to that the explosion of immigrants from Syria and other war-torn regions as a result of ISIL, and you're looking at huge percentages and numbers. We have been covering in class for the last month why this matters.
It's time to sit up and take notice. The Syrian issue is real – and it's not just about Syrians, it's about everyone.
Sources:
1. Furst, David. "The Historic Scale of Syria's Refugee Crisis". NY-Times. 2 October. 2014.
2. Hummer, Liz. "Quick facts: What you need to know about the Syria crisis". Mercycorps. 29 August. 2014.
3."Arab Spring". Wikipedia. Background, causes. 5 October. 2014.
4. Monty, King. "'Deadliest day' in Syria uprising". Aljazeera. 23 April. 2014.
5."Preliminary tables - Permanent and temporary residents, 2013". cic.gc.ca. 17 June. 2014.
This is my weekly post…
ReplyDeleteLately; the US led a series of attacks on Islamic State, along with the newly discovered group known as Khorasan (1). This al Qaeda affiliated group poses a very serious threat on the West and have been eyeing on attacking American Airlines (1). This newly discovered group poses a very real threat on the security of airlines, as well as the fear of a new terrorist threat in America. What is the US, along with Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to prevent these attacks? Bombing at the source. The US have led 22 attacks on both Khorasan and Islamic State (1), trying to stop them in their own territory before it gets too out of hand.
Syrians have been caught in a brutal civil war since 2011 (2), creating a chaotic environment for all the civilians in Syria. This civil war, which started by a series of protests for political rights along with dignity, (3) turned horribly wrong. The government’s response to this is anything but reasonable. Shooting protesters and sieging cities which were being protested in (3). This is what ensued the currently ongoing civil war. The issue I see here is what is to be done for the thousands of civilians who want to get away from all the violence? The death count, along with many other issues have already been addressed, however, there are also tens of thousands of protesters and human rights activists who have been imprisoned and arrested, being tortured and terrorised (3). Furthermore, since the 2011 civil war, 72 journalists have been confirmed to be killed during their line of duty (4), posing an issue on if it is even safe to send reporters to places such as Syria.
There are so many things happening in Syria that I cannot cover in just one post, however, there are many issues I see from what I understand is happening. Firstly, you have the issues of Human Rights, having innocent people being tortured, along with newscasters and reporters is just wrong. Secondly, Canada needs to accept more immigrants and refugees from this crisis. As of September 30th, Canada has only accepted around 1300 Syrian refugees since 2013 (5). Is the Khorasan group a real, serious threat, or just a bluff? All in all, this is most definitely a global issue which needs to be stopped NOW.
Sources
1 - http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/09/23/airstrikes-whats-happened-in-syria-so-far/
2 - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1781371/Syrian-Civil-War
3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War
4 - http://cpj.org/killed/mideast/syria/
5- http://ccrweb.ca/en/syrian-crisis-backgrounder