Chemical

Warfare in Syria

On August 21st there was an alleged poison gas attack near Damascus that

resulted in the deaths of more than 1,300 people according to CNN. The attack is a
result of the civil war that has been plaguing Syria for the last two years. However,
now that it is believed that chemical weapons are being used, the United Nations has
stepped in to investigate and other countries are engaged in numerous debates
about what types of international consequences will be suffered.

The Syrian government is comprised mostly of Alawite Muslims and headed

by President Bashar al-Assad. The rebellion in Syria is dominated by Sunni Muslims.

It is reported that the civil war in Syria has caused more than 1.5 million people to
leave for other countries (Payne). However, there are still many who remain in Syria
either because they are reluctant to leave their home, or they cannot leave due to
economic reasons.

This chemical attack has pushed the total number of deaths in Syria caused

by the civil war to over 100,000 and now warrants intervention from other
countries according to President Obama. However, each country has launched its
own debates about what should happen next. President Obama has made
statements saying that according to the findings from the United Nations weapons
inspector, he believes the Syrian government is responsible for the chemical attacks
on its own people. Before the attack, the US was engaged in debates about arming
the Syrian rebels with weapons from the American military.

Russia, which is an ally of Syria, was quick to dispute Obamas claim that the

Syrian government was responsible for the chemical warfare and claimed that the

Sandoval, 2

US government was trying to create artificial groundless excuses for military

intervention (Levs). Russia objects to any military action due to what they claim is
a lack of evidence. It is expected that China will also object to any form of military
intervention.

It seems that regardless of what conclusion the United Nations draws, there

is an alliance forming outside of its jurisdiction. Along with the United States,
French, German and British officials have all made statements expressing the need
for the Syrian government to suffer the consequences of its actions. The countries
are in the midst of holding debates and voting sessions to set in motion what
military action they feel is necessary.

Needless to say, the recent use of chemical weapons against the Syrian

population has sparked political unrest worldwide. It seems as though many

countries are now on the brink of engaging Syria in warfare because of their crimes
against humanity (Levs). As the dispute continues and more evidence is found and
debated, we can only wait and see what causes the conflict to reach its climax, and
how the war will have affected politics and alliances throughout the world.



Works Cited
Levs, Fred Pleitgen. Josh, Frederik Pleitgen Reported from Syria. Josh Levs, Chelsea J.



Carter Reported from Atlanta. Ben Brumfield Hamdi Alkhshali, Jomana


Karadsheh, Boriana Milanova, Chris Lawrence, Jim Acosta, Samira Said, Joe

Sandoval, 3

Sterling, Elise Labott, Jill Dougherty, and Saskya Vandoorne. "Obama: U.S.
Concludes Syria Carried out Chemical Weapons Attacks." CNN. Cable News
Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 29 Aug. 2013.

News, CBC. "Obama Mulls 'tailored, Limited' Syria Strike." CBCnews. CBC/Radio


Canada, 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Aug. 2013.
Payne, Ed, Greg Botelho, Jamie Crawford, Yousuf Basil, and Saad Abedine.

"Opposition Presses for Weapons as Syria Death Toll Tops 100,000." CNN.

Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 29 Aug. 2013.