Why should students care about Syria?

With Lebanon to its south and Iran to its east, the small country of Syria has made news across the United States for the past week as White House officials and members of Congress debate the need for military action in the country. The debate was sparked after President Barack Obama proposed military action Aug. 30 in response to allegations of a chemical weapons attack that occurred Aug. 21. 

What actually happened? 

A “Day of Rage” was announced throughout Syria March 25, 2011. The Day of Rage and the uprisings that occurred shortly after were more than likely a direct cause of the Arab Spring when uprisings throughout the Middle East occurred. The difference in the Syrian uprisings and the uprisings that occurred in Libya, though, lies in the government’s firm control over its civilians.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has a firm hold on the Syrian people, much like Saddam Hussein’s control over the Iraqis, said retired Lt. Col. Wayne Bergeron, instructor of criminal justice. 

The result is a Syria that has been in the midst of a civil war for two years, he said.

Why are we just now starting to care?

We’ve cared for a while, actually. Military action in Syria was debated in the last election, said Associate Professor of Political Science Tim Collins. 

The United States has not had the chance to prove there was a reasonable threat in Syria until recently, when the Obama administration announced Aug. 30 they were “confident” of chemical weapon use by the Syrian government on civilians, which is one of the reasons why it has made the news. 

“The President came out a while back and said that in looking at whether or not to get involved, one of the things that would change his calculation would be if there were chemical weapons being moved around or if there were chemical weapons being used on the civilian populace,” Collins said. “He described it as a red line. Having crossed it now, it puts the credibility of the White House on the line.”  

Why is it so hard to choose a side?

Al Queda forces are leading the rebel cause against the Assad Regime. By choosing to take military action and potentially overthrowing the Assad Regime, the United States could be fighting alongside Al Queda forces, a group we have fought, and are fighting, against in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bergeron said.

“They’d be more than happy to see us take Assad out, just like the Iranians were more than happy to see us take Saddam Hussein out because that sort of allowed them to have influence over what they did in Iraq,” he said. “It is complicated, and I think that’s one of the reason why the [Obama] administration does not want to disable the Assad Regime because what may come after could be quite worse than what is there. Not to mention, there’s a sort of rule in international warfare that if you break it, you buy it.” 

What are the stakes?

Military involvement in Syria could result in angering Iran and enticing Russia to join the ranks as both countries have stakes within Syria, but for different reasons.

Russia is in it for the trade reasons, Collins said. 

“They trade with Syria,” he said. “They have a partnership with Syria. They’ve been invested in both getting oil from the Middle East but also in selling arms to the Middle East to countries like Syria.”

Iran, on the other hand, has managed to serve as a “patron” of sorts to the country, Bergeron said.

Is it worth it to potentially enter another Middle Eastern conflict that could potentially end like the United States’ involvements in Iraq and Afghanistan? 

That’s the big question, and one of the reasons why military action has been so heavily debated.

Student Jacob Chapman does not think it is worth it.

“I think our country is tired of war,” he said. “Iraq was a nightmare and nobody wants that again. Yeah, there are awful regimes out there, but do we have to police them all?”

By setting a firm red line, the United States could potentially become the designated police force for any nation that kills its people. Military action in Syria could also result in a higher gas prices and could more closely affect those who have friends or family members in the military, as they could be deployed to the area, Collins said.