Daily Times

It seems that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has chosen to hold on to power amid mounting criticism and calls for his resignation and has apparently turned a blind eye to the warning by the US, following the so-called liberation of Libya, declaring Syria to be the next target of their military campaign.

In an agreement on November 2nd, President Assad had readily agreed to accept the proposals of a peace plan as recommended by the Arab League and shown willingness to hold talks with the opposition groups to resolve the issues of conflict within the country. However, the Arab League, which was to meet on November 16th, voted on its suspension of Syria four days earlier and also announced imposition of sanctions in light of the government’s failure to protect civilians from being killed by the security forces. It is only relevant to mention here that the reason for the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution, which was moved against Libya legitimising a NATO intervention, was also based on a ruse to protect civilians.

The haste of the Arab League’s vote is more an indication of a motivated agenda to overthrow the current regime rather than to peacefully resolve the situation without violating the sovereignty of the country and further aggravating a national crisis which should be dealt with as such. The Arab League, that has at many times in its history proved ineffectual, is now seen by many as an instrument playing to the tunes of an American-oriented policy. It must rethink its strategy and make up its mind vis-à-vis its aims in Syria. Are those aims to overthrow the incumbent regime or to protect civilians. This matter must be clarified by the League, which claims to be an upholder of Arab nationalism, not imperialism.

Foreign intervention in independent states, whether on the pretext of setting up democracy or the protection of civilians, must be put an end to once and for all. Lately it seems to be developing into a habit of the west, one with extremely unfavourable consequences not only for regional stability in the Middle East but also a potential marker of global strife. Nevertheless, Iran must remain vigilant as it could very well be next in line. *