In all likelihood, the plan as set out by Annan will not be realized, but any failure will not be his, but that of Assad.
In all likelihood, the plan as set out by Annan will not be realized, but any failure will not be his, but that of Assad.
If Assad does not cease attacks against civilians, the Friends of Syria will likely view Kofi Annan’s gambit as a failed attempt for peace.
More than a year after the onset of anti-regime protests, the Syrian uprising increasingly resembles a bloody marathon with no finish line on the horizon. With more than 7,000 people killed and ongoing deadly clashes between security forces and the armed opposition, the international community —splintered along geo-strategic lines — is still struggling to craft and establish a clear “road map” for Syria.
Many nonviolent protesters have tragically been killed as will many more. However, proportionately a far greater number of armed resisters have been killed and will continue to be killed. The question is not whether thousands will continue to die but what is the best way for the Syrian people to overthrow the hated regime, end the violence, and bring democracy and social justice.
I am here in my role as head of the Philippine House of Representatives Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs. My trip to Homs is part of a mission to locate Filipino overseas workers in Syria—mainly domestic workers—who are still in the country or have been killed in the fighting. The plan is to repatriate them or their remains to the Philippines. Filipino workers are among the millions of overseas workers who have been or are likely to be caught in the crossfire of the still continuing Arab Spring.
WASHINGTON, Mar 8, 2012 (IPS) – This week was supposed to be all about Iran – at least, that’s how Israel and its powerful U.S. lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), had planned it – and why the U.S. should prepare to bomb it very, very soon if its leadership doesn’t cave into Western demands to abandon its nuclear programme.
Syria possesses massive amounts of chemical weapons.
It’s time to identify those sectors, such as weapons, from which the Assad regime derives its power — and disrupt business as usual.
Since it sits at the strategic heart of the Middle East, separating myth from reality in Syria is crucial.
Anne-Marie Slaughter forgets that humanitarian intervention is frequently seen as a Trojan horse designed to smuggle imperial intent past the gates of state sovereignty.