The Jigsaw Puzzle that is Syria

It is always difficult to digest the reality of a violent foreign conflict. This is especially true when those in conflict come from a culture not particularly familiar in language, sectarian customs or religion. We may relate to images of a suffering people, but while these images put a human face on the conflict, they often also further solidify the perception that those in conflict are “there” and we are “here.”

The current crisis in Syria demonstrates this very clearly. For over three years the American people have heard occasional news reports about what has been termed a “civil war” in Syria. These reports have increased since the U.S. and allies have undertaken the offensive against ISIS, but the scope and context of the conflict remain ill-defined and unclear.

Foreign conflicts, including the Syrian crisis, can be compared to a jigsaw puzzle.

The Truth of Assad’s Lie

Note: Parts of this post contain graphic descriptions of physical abuse.

Since March 2011, when protesters took to the streets of Syria demanding reform, demanding freedom from the tyrannical reign of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the world has watched a nation slide into the throes of a civil war where an ideological kaleidoscope of oppositional factions battle a regime desperate to cling to its illegitimate power, willing to use any form of  tyranny and disinformation to do so.

Add to this the fact that the regime has encouraged the birth and growth of radical jihadist groups that are ostensibly focused on the regime’s demise, but that are in actuality serving the regime’s interests by confusing the battlefield and paralyzing already war-timid western nations who might otherwise support Syrian reform, add these together and one is left with what appears to be a Middle East morass that has a thousand paths in and no clear path out.

This of course serves the interests of President Assad very well as is evidenced by his ability for the past three years to kill over 250,000 civilians (15,000 of which are children under 15 years of age), displace over 10 million and leave much of the country in rubble and still remain in power facing only the occasional rhetorical western threats or non-credible “red line” ultimatums.

The Video Turns out to be Fake but Not the Determination of the Syrian People

On Tuesday of this week I published a post entitled “A Hero Outside Damascus.” It set up a 1:06 minute video of what appeared to be a young Syrian boy risking his life in a tremendous show of heroism in order to rescue a young girl from what was assumed to be Syrian regime snipers. The video offered a glimpse of what I told one person was the true Syrian spirit of determination.

We learned tonight that the video was a farce. It was filmed in Malta by a Norwegian film crew and posted to their YouTube page with the intention of deceiving viewers. This viewer clearly was deceived. (Read BBC Trending article here)

A Hero Outside Damascus

Every war has its victims and every conflict its horrors. The civil war raging in Syria is not an exception. The statistics stagger – 200,000 + civilians killed by the Assad regime with more than 10,000 of these being children. Nine million Syrians have been displaced inside and outside Syria leaving entire towns destroyed. 

Images of death and carnage - of hospitals lying in rubble and of refugee camps torn and tattered by Assad's bombs sweep through social media with such unrelenting force that many viewers in the west have become numb and even repulsed. Words cannot fully define the helplessness and hopelessness felt by those men and women who so desperately long not simply for an end to the fighting, but also for the freedom from tyranny for which they fight. 

Every war also has its heroes, and the war in Syria is again not an exception.

As we celebrate Veterans Day here in the United States, we pay tribute to those who have taken the oath to defend and protect. We give our utmost respect to the men and women who have gone into harm’s way, so that those of us who do not serve may remain safe at home. This is an exceptional thing and every American should celebrate and be grateful.

It is also fitting I believe to take this day to share one story of a hero who is not American, who did not take an oath or wear a uniform, who simply acted without regard to his own life to save another. The following one minute video is not graphic but it is violent. Watch to the end and you will be inspired. His is a story that the world needs to know. 

(The snipers are serving at the orders of Syrian President Bashar al Assad outside Damascus, It should also be noted that the voices heard are not those of the snipers but of people secretly filming using a telephoto lens to document Assad’s crimes against humanity.)

A hero outside Damascus

Finally, I am not Muslim, but this young man's actions reminded me of the verse from the Koran, “And whoever saves one life - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.” Surat 5:32 It should be everyone’s hope and prayer that the world saves his life and the lives of all those left standing in that war-torn nation by demanding an end to Assad’s inhuman assault on the innocent.

We are losing our fight against ISIS

We are losing our fight against ISIS. Regardless of a successful strike here, or a temporarily retreating foe there, we are losing ground each day in the hearts and minds of the Syrian people.

We are losing, not because we cannot win and not because the fight is not worth fighting. The truth is, we can win and for the sake of our long term national security and economic stability, as well as, our ability to project the same around the globe victory is worth the fight. We are losing because the promises and statements of President Obama are disconnected from his administration’s actual policies and actions.

Clearly the challenges and dangers of seeking to destroy our stated enemy, the Islamic State, are great and real. Add to this that the battlefield has been shaped by a three-year civil war - a civil war in which multiple opposition factions from a kaleidoscope of ideological leanings battle a desperate and malevolent dictator who continues to survive by way of funds and weapons from Russia and fighters from Iran, the complexity of prudent and effective action becomes almost confounding – almost.

Question of the Day

Q:        What do the following counties have in common?  (See answer at the bottom.)

	Hungary	9,933,173
	Sweden	9,631,261
	Azerbaijan	9,514,887
	Serbia	9,468,378
	United Arab Emirates	9,445,624
	Belarus	9,307,609
	Austria	8,526,429
	Tajikistan	8,408,947
	Honduras	8,260,749
	Switzerland	8,157,896
	Israel	7,822,107
	Jordan	7,504,812

Time is Not on Our Side in Syria

On October 16th, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece written by United States Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham entitled, “To Defeat Islamic State, Remove Assad.” The by-line reads, “Syrians are already asking why we’re bombing ISIS but not stopping Assad’s attacks on them.” (See full article here.) 

This is the most critical question relating to the situation in Syria today - Will the United States, at a minimum, allow ally countries to enforce a No Fly Zone over the regions of Syria enduring the Assad regime’s daily bombings of civilians? After watching the slow death of a nation through the killing of 220,000 civilians with 12,000 of these being children, the displacement externally and internally of an estimated 12 million refugees and the destruction of entire cities by regime forces, the Syrian people have a right to know our answer to this question before they pledge to be our “boots on the ground” fighting ISIS.