Bashar al-Assad Must Go

The use of chemical weapons in the ongoing conflict in Syria is in direct violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC); however, Syria is not currently party to this agreement. This presents a unique opportunity for all major parties involved to ratchet down the international brinkmanship at play. While it most likely won’t end the fighting in Syria, Bashar al-Assad following through with his tentative pledge to relinquish Syria’s chemical weapons and join the CWC signifies a major turning point in the conflict, because it gives America a clear choice on how to proceed.

The CWC is an important piece of the puzzle in establishing a meaningful dialogue between Syria and the U.S., but to be clear, at this point in the conflict anything achieved through it will simply be a half-measure, and would require the world to be ok with choosing the greater of two evils.

Open for adoption since January 13, 1993, the CWC is an arms control agreement created by the U.N. to address a lack of restriction upon the production and stockpiling of chemical weapons.  While the Geneva Protocol of 1925 originally prohibited the use of chemical weapons in warfare, it left several loopholes through which countries were able to justify their possession and use of these weapons. The CWC introduced strict oversights aimed at identifying and eliminating stockpiles of chemical weapons.

Parties to the CWC must not “develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, or transfer, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to anyone.” They are also required to report their possession of chemical weapons as well as the facilities used to design and produce them, and destroy both the weapons and facilities or provide detailed plans for their conversion to non-prohibited purposes. The convention also includes provisions for inspections and sanctions in order to ensure compliance with the agreement.

The CWC went into enforcement in 1997 after being ratified by 65 nations, and there are currently 189 nations that have joined the agreement.  In the twenty years since it was originally adopted, Syria  has been one of the few members of the U.N. that has not acceded to the convention, and it has made no secret of its possession of chemical weapons and its willingness to use them should the need arise. This is why Syria’s sudden willingness to renounce its chemical weapons stockpiles is both surprising and inviting of skepticism.

Syria’s acceptance of the CWC would likely spare countless individuals from a painful death caused by chemical agents and put the country in line with the rest of the world. In and of itself, this is absolutely a good thing. The measure would serve as a symbolic gesture, and would allow Syria and other nations to stop shouting at each other and start talking about a realistic ending to the conflict in Syria. It would not, however, stop the killing of innocent people by a regime bent on retaining power by whatever means necessary, and in all likelihood, will not lead to the resolution of the conflict because the problem is Assad himself.

Assad has already proven his unwillingness to step down from office, and his eagerness to fight his opposition into submission. He has killed more than 200,000 people, and displaced over 6 million as a result of his actions. Allowing him to save face by joining the CWC only strengthens his position, and allows the rest of the world a convenient exit from an uncomfortable situation.  Even without chemical weapons, the Assad regime has plenty of bullets, bombs and manpower to continue its war of attrition, and whether Syria joins the CWC or not, there is simply no solution that involves the current regime. If America is sincerely concerned about the conflict in Syria, then as unpopular as it may be, military action might just be the lesser of two evils.

In his national address on Wednesday night, President Obama made his case in regard to this truth, and although as a nation we are absolutely justified in being hesitant to pursue further military action, if the conflict in Syria is something we strongly care about, then we can’t simply walk away after receiving what is ultimately no more than a paltry concession. We must decide whether we are willing to fight for true justice or if we are only interested in saving face, and willing to allow another dictator to continue to get away with heinous atrocities to advance his own agenda.

Published on .Mic

-Namakemono

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