The Sinhalese Kings And Foreign Assistance: What Shall We Do About Syria?
By Kumar David -September 8, 2013
Prof Kumar David
Assad, Obama and the Citizens of the World: What shall we do about Syria?
First let me lay down my locus standi in addressing this topic. Those of us outside Syria, who seek to intervene physically, intellectually or as demonstrators on the streets, are entitled to do so as citizens of the world; we are our brother’s keepers, when Jesus said otherwise he blundered. I reject the notion of national sovereignty, fundamentally; it’s a deception used by rulers to crush people under a jackboot while thwarting outside intervention. Are we not familiar with GoSL playing the sovereignty card to hide war crimes? I said ‘fundamentally’, so what’s the caveat? Simply that a majority of people do take their national, ethnic or religious identity seriously (fools don’t see that “patriotism is merely the last refuge of the scoundrel”); hence I have to adjust for this unfortunate reality in practice. Not everybody is an internationalist; pretty darned few are!
Secondly, at this moment the most dramatic international concern is whether Obama will strike Syria. I am not an American, hence not a stakeholder, but it is of utmost concern to everyone because America’s actions will so change global dynamics (for better or for worse I will discuss anon) that it warrants apprehension. Every citizen of the world has as much right as any American to engage in the debate about US actions. Now let me state my frame of reference; Bashar al-Assad is a monster and I support the efforts of the Syrian people to overthrow him, though I am aware that the opposition consists of contradictory forces and there is no guarantee that once he is gone flourishing democracy will take his place. But if we wait for watertight guarantees no dictator will be removed; you have to take sensible risks. There were similar worries in Libya about the post-Gaddafi scene, but a after a period of chaos and turmoil, a new far from perfect but better than Gaddafi era, Libya is taking shape. Events have proved the risk was worth it. Read More
