Syria Case

On March 15, 2011 citizens of Syria began demonstrating against the Ba'ath Party, demanding the resignation of President Bashar al-Asad and release of political prisoners. These demonstrations quickly developed into a country wide uprising when the Syrian government deployed troops of the Syrian Army who opened fire on many civilians. Several cities became engulfed with military members who were ordered to open fire on civilians and were executed if they refused to do so. During this time, many civilians and Syrian Army defectors began forming small militias and eventually unified under the name Free Syrian Army (FSA). "On September 23, the Free Officers Movement officially merged into the Free Syria Army, led by Colonel Riad al-Assad." In October 2011 and February 2012, Russia and China vetoed the United Nations Security Council's backed resolution condemning Syria. As the fighting continued and the killing of innocent civilians increased, "France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada and Australia expel senior Syrian diplomats in protest (Syria Profile, 2012)." As of today, the fighting between the Syrian Army and the FSA continues as the rest of the world watches and wonders, when it will come to an end. I believe that President al-Asad should step down and face criminal charges in an International court for the order to kill civilians. If he does not step down, he should be taken by force comprised of individuals selected by the United Nations.

Many political leaders believe the President al-Asad will fall on his own, but what if he doesn't? As I'm writing this paper, more and more civilians are being murdered for a cause that they haven't spoken up about. Organized military units roll into various cities at various times and open fire for no reason at all. The United States and the rest of the world were quick to intervene in Libya when Muammar Gaddafi was ordering the murder of his own people. With many of the world's "superpowers" condemning Bashar al-Asad's actions, removing him from power would be quick and worthwhile. If a covert operation is put into play to remove President Bashar al-Asad, it needs to be done soon to end the bloodshed by this ruthless dictator.

Intervention in the Syrian conflict by military force may sound like a good idea, but doesn't make too much sense. As in Libya, where NATO intervened, the opposing military force in Syria is not as organized, are spread out over a larger area and do not control an area of the country. The killings are being done in densely populated areas which make military intervention from outside sources extremely difficult. In order to help the FSA and other militias fight the Syrian Army, we would have to first adequately arm them with weapons and vehicles. As of now, the resistance is fighting with what weapons they have and without the support of tanks, planes and armored troop carriers. If the United