Russia Denies Evidence in Syrian Chemical Attack on Civilians
UN Security Council emergency meeting after the chemical attack
As many as a dozen people may have been killed in the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria on Saturday April 7. Specialists and aid workers have investigated the area where the rebel fighters have begun to evacuate under a surrender deal. According to the Syrian-American Medical Society, more than 500 people, including many children, had to be treated in Douma, near the capital Damascus, suffering symptoms such as having difficulty breathing, bluish skin, mouth foaming, and corneal burns. These alarming scenes have brought the UN Security Council to discuss the allegations. According to Mr. Donald Trump, “President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad.” In response, French president Mr. Emmanuel Macron and US president Mr. Donald Trump have been coordinating together to initiate a “strong, joint response.” On the Russian side, foreign minister Mr. Sergei Lavrov insisted that the Russian military had warned many times of a possible “provocation” and places the blame on Damascus for attacking the civilians with chemical weapons. He denies of any evidence found in the area: “[The military specialists] did not find any trace of chlorine or any other chemical substance used against civilians.” Not only does this horrific attack on innocent people threaten the safety of Syrian civilians, but also forces one to question the trustworthiness of people in power.
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Children receive medical treatment after the suspected chemical attack in Douma
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Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think the US should respond to this? If so, how?
2. What do you think should be done to prevent these attacks from happening in the future?
3. What do you think was the intent behind this attack?
4. Why would someone do such an atrocious act?
The key to preventing future attacks of this type (chemical weaponry used on civilians) clear punishments need to be created, enforceable and enforced. Why should Syria stop using Chemical Weapons if there is no consequence? If the UN can decide on official and enforceable punishments, perhaps future incidents could be preempted.
ReplyDeleteLike what Alex said above, there have to be clear consequences for the use of chemical weapons on innocent civilians, but because of the complexity of the situation in Syria, things are all out of sorts. What I mean by this is that there are so many people backing up every side in the Syrian conflict that it is hard enough to put a blame on any person, and even harder to enforce it. However, a way around this is that if every country acknowledges the rules of the use of chemical weapons on innocent people is obviously wrong. But Assad has already done this, and countries still back him up despite this. So while countries do acknowledge that the use of chemical weapons are bad, they still will not go against their predisposed stance on which side to back up. This is why if a side was to utilize chemical weapons, they would in theory be able to get away with it which is technically what is happening right now. The one thing that will solve this idea is the presence of solid evidence for who initiated the attack which may or may not happen, so these conflicts are often complicated and do not have a clear solution.
ReplyDeleteI believe US should respond to this situation. Chemical attacks has also happened in US. This means these countries should all think of a punishment and respond to this horrific attack. Over 500 people were already brought to hospitals due to chemical attacks. This large number should bring people to attention that something needs to be done with these types of attacks. The government should limit and access to these dangerous chemical ingredients. Once someone has this type of weapon on their hands, it is very dangerous for the surrounding. People who attack must face jail time and fines. The intent behind these attacks are mainly for revenge of a person they knew. Maybe because the attacker felt betrayed by the victim. These type of attack should not be ignored. People must start to notice and harm and danger it can cause and act fast before it gets even worse.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there needs to be clear consequences for countries that use chemical weapons on innocent civilians. But how will it be done when the government is not willing to cooperate or comply with the rules set by the international community? It is definitely hard to point fingers when there is no evidence, so I believe that the US should try to focus on finding as much evidence as they can and discourage any more attacks by imposing sanctions or embargoes on Syria. As long as Mr. Donald Trump is in power right now, removing Assad from his position is not a priority for American policy, which concerns me, since I believe that a leader should never harm his people or put them in danger.
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