by Muhammad Idrees Ahmad
Last Saturday, when the United States, the U.K. in addition to French Republic launched strikes on 3 chemic facilities inwards Syria, the movement was met alongside disapproval inwards some quarters. The pre-announced spectacle blew upward 3 buildings in addition to took no lives, but some pronounced it a "dangerous escalation". Some spoke of its "illegality". All complained nigh its disregard for the OPCW investigation. The action, which lasted less than an hour, was an escalation solely if everything that preceded it was normal. By this reckoning, Syrian Arab Republic has at nowadays returned to its condition quo of genocide past times the Assad regime. The activity was illegal solely if past times legality nosotros hateful approving past times the United Nations Security Council. But the Security Council is non a neutral adjudicating authorisation similar a court. Its decisions are constrained past times the interests of its permanent members. To say an activity is "legal", inwards this case, would live to say: "Vladimir Putin approved".
What in addition to so of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) investigation?
This depends on what response is beingness sought. Because the OPCW's remit does non include apportioning blame. Untrammelled access for the OPCW would bring exactly proved what was already known: that a chemic assault took place. It would non bring resolved the manufactured disputation over who was responsible (manufactured, because at that spot is solely 1 political party inwards Syrian Arab Republic alongside the means, intention in addition to history of deploying chemic weapons past times air).
But had the OPCW confirmed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's responsibility, what consequences should bring followed?
Last year, afterwards the Khan Sheikhoun chemic attack, the United Nations did respond to the calls for an investigation past times creating the UN-OPCW Joint Investigation Mechanism (JIM) alongside the authorisation to seat perpetrators. But 1 time the JIM concluded that al-Assad was responsible for the attack, Russian Federation revoked its authority. And the fact that the United Nations confirmed the regime's responsibleness for the assault didn't provoke whatsoever calls for accountability from the crowd currently insisting on the sanctity of the legal process.
All calls for "more investigation" sputter into platitudes nigh a "negotiated settlement" or "UN authorised action" (which, is some other way of proverb "never", since Putin is unlikely to grant western powers the authorisation to human activity against his interests).
Fetishising a dubious legal procedure thence becomes a temporising stair out that grants the perpetrators of majority criminal offense impunity against the palpable illegality of using chemic weapons. That the example is non made inwards skilful organized faith is obvious from the analogy that oftentimes accompanies it.
Should nosotros live trusting the same governments in addition to agencies that lied to us nigh Iraq's weapons of majority devastation (WMDs)?
Is Syrian Arab Republic similar Iraq?
Considering the ubiquity of the Republic of Iraq analogy, it would appear that the onetime cliche that generals are ever fighting the final state of war also applies to their critics. Syrian Arab Republic is Republic of Iraq solely if facile juxtapositions supercede substantive comparisons. Beyond the fact that both countries bring been led past times Baathist regimes that brought immense misery upon their people, at that spot is no concrete item inwards which Syrian Arab Republic in addition to Republic of Iraq are similar.
In 2003, Iraq was invaded fifty-fifty though at that spot was no imminent humanitarian catastrophe demanding action; inwards Syria, the regime has been on a rampage since 2011, yet solely on 2 occasions has it been subjected to limited in addition to rather ineffective military machine strikes on "humanitarian grounds".
Where inwards Iraq, the US in addition to Great Britain had used faux pretexts for action, inwards Syrian Arab Republic existent in addition to frequent violations bring solely twice shaken the W out of inaction. Where inwards Iraq, the alleged possession of WMDs was deemed sufficient grounds for an invasion, their confirmed move inwards Syrian Arab Republic has solely belatedly occasioned a response, largely symbolic, lacking stupor or awe.
The analogy also seems ignorant of the knowns in addition to unknowns inwards the example against Iraq. In 2003, despite intense US pressure, international bodies similar the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Monitoring, Verification in addition to Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) in addition to OPCW declined to endorse the administration's example against Iraq. In Syria, the regime hasn't denied its possession of chemic weapons in addition to the United Nations has confirmed their tumble out at to the lowest degree 34 occasions.
The 'deep state' argument
But what of the claim that a "deep state" is trying to mislead us into war, every bit it did inwards Iraq?
In 2002, the CIA resisted direction describe per unit of measurement area to supply a defensible rationale for invading Iraq. Then Vice President Dick Cheney had to personally visit the CIA's headquarters inwards Langley several times to describe per unit of measurement area analysts to gain an assessment favourable to the administration's case. But, inwards spite of the bullying, the "deep state" (including the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, the Department of Energy in addition to the State Department) delivered their combined judgment inwards a caveat-laden National Intelligence Estimate that would solely confirm that if left unchecked, Republic of Iraq may develop nuclear weapons inwards a decade.
The Bush direction recognised the inadequacy of the assessment and, inwards the end, had to rely on 2 advertising hoc operations based inwards the Pentagon to gain its ain politicised intelligence, exterior the recalcitrant channels of the "deep state". French, High German in addition to British intelligence also failed to oblige Bush (leading the UK's then-PM Tony Blair to gain his ain politicised "dodgy" dossier).
In Syria, past times contrast, US, British, in addition to French intelligence agencies bring been unanimous inwards delivering confident judgments on the regime's responsibleness for the chemic attack. These judgments bring been corroborated past times Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), journalistic investigations, witness testimonies, human rights organisations, and, of course, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syrian Arab Republic (which confirmed at to the lowest degree 34 instances of the regime's move of chemic weapons fifty-fifty earlier Douma).
The example for Republic of Iraq never came about achieving this form of consensus.
The Halabja massacre
There is, however, an Republic of Iraq analogy that is relevant to Syria: It is non 2003, but 1988, when, during Saddam Hussein's military machine crusade inwards the north, nearly 5,000 civilians were killed inwards a chemical assault on the Kurdish town of Halabja.
The assault followed the town's capture past times the Iranian army, in addition to Republic of Iraq at nowadays blamed it on Islamic Republic of Iran every bit a "false flag" operation. US intelligence, which at the fourth dimension was allied to the Iraqi regime, amplified the claim. But inwards an ironic twist, 1 time Hussein cruel out of western favour afterwards annexing Kuwait, "anti-imperialists" (including, sadly, the late Edward Said) felt obliged to move the "false flag" theory to absolve Hussein inwards their misguided assay to forbid an intervention.
Therein lies the lesson: Facile contrarianism is an intellectual dead halt that contributes to moral atrophy in addition to reactionary politics. We alive inwards a fourth dimension of great danger and, due to its orbit in addition to consequences, Syrian Arab Republic may instruct the defining conflict of this century.
We tin differ on our views nigh the best flat for achieving peace, but nosotros must non let our conclusions to create upward one's hear which facts nosotros admit in addition to which nosotros don't. Let us sure enough non distort or curvature the truth to satisfy our preconceptions. In these times of universal deceit, it must instruct a moral duty for all citizens to expression upward misuses of linguistic communication in addition to history.
The views expressed inwards this article are the author's ain in addition to gain non necessarily reverberate Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
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