Security Council tackles Syrian civil war

Delegates debate possible measures to resolve the Syrian conflict.

              Since January 26th, 2011 the Syrian people have been rebelling and rioting against their unjust and oppressive regime. The authoritarian nature of the government started with Hafez al-Assad as Syria's dictator, and continued when his son Bashar al-Assad succeeded him in 2000. Al-Assad crushed the Syrian people's expectations for positive change and their hope for a new era of justice and modernization. When Hasan Ali Akleh set himself on fire, his suffering demonstrated the plight of the Syrian people, leading the way for increased protests against the government.

            In response to these uprisings, the Syrian government ruthlessly retaliated against its people with escalating violence, including the use of tear gas, bullets, bombings, and other weaponry. On August 18, 2011, the Human Rights Council (HRC) condemned the Syrian government for its "widespread and systematic attacks against its own people" and called for "an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC)." On Saturday, the Security Council tackled the Syrian issue by passing resolutions 1.2 and 1.4.

            Expressing a deep concern that the Syrian conflict would spill over into surrounding nations, Resolution 1.2 recommended creating a "living buffer zone" to be implemented across the Israel-Syria and Lebanon-Syria borders with the goal of limiting the risk of violence in neighboring countries.

            Resolution 1.4 called for a ceasefire on both sides, followed by peace talks in Switzerland among the parties. The delegate of India, Zoe Allison, expressed her concern over the possibility of the "ceasefire not working" but strongly believed that "solving the issue will improve the image of the United Nations." Because of the dire need for humanitarian aid, both resolutions also worked to distribute assistance to affected civilians.

            In contrast to the two resolutions that were passed, working paper 1.1 asked for the removal of Assad and new elections in Syria. During the civil war, Russia has continually been sending ammunition to Assad, strengthening the alliance between the two countries. Because of this relationship, the delegate of Russia vetoed Resolution 1.1.

            Furthermore, the delegate from Russia expressed his concern that this working paper would infringe upon Syria’s sovereignty since it allowed the UN to restructure the domestic political system. The delegate of Russia, Louis Varriana, argued that the "clauses contained within the resolution would set an irresponsible precedent for future actions."

            In discussing the failure of working paper 1.1, the delegate of Guatemala, Angad Rawal, believed that the proposal was rejected "because of its very radical views, the amount of unfriendly amendments not passed, and an indirect attack on the Ba'ath party in its lack of consideration of Assad."