The eruption of civil conflict in Syria in 2011 very quickly provoked a deep split in the international community over which side to back and what outcome to see
1More
Syria Intervention: Geneva Conventions | The New Republic - 0 views
www.newrepublic.com/...ntervention-geneva-conventions
syria intervention geneva convention chemical weapons
shared by hkerby2 on 02 Mar 15
- No Cached
-
This article states that if Bashar al Assad's use of chemical weapons in a suburb is true then why isn't the United States acting to protect the Syrian civilians. This article, contrary to the one I posted earlier, says that Syria is legally at fault in regards to chemical warfare because they signed the Geneva Convention.
1More
UNODA - Chemical Weapons - 0 views
-
UNODA- United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. This site discusses the use of the Geneva Protocol in regards to chemical weaponry. The protocol prohibits use of chemical weaponry in warfare but does not prohibit stock piling. Geneva adopted the chemical weapons convention which established the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons (OPCW)
24More
Syria crisis: Where key countries stand - BBC News - 0 views
-
Syria regarded as the world's most pressing crisis, the US and Russia, along with other permanent members of the UN Security Council, Turkey and Arab states, have attempted to resolve their differences.
-
Their Geneva Communique, which calls for a transitional government based on "mutual consent", has become the basis for peace talks in the Swiss city. But it is clear the sides have different interpretations of the plan, and have so far failed to achieve a breakthroug
- ...20 more annotations...
-
US wants Bashar al-Assad out of power, and is pushing for the transitional government called for in the Geneva communique.
-
President Barack Obama sought Congressional support for military action but postponed the vote - which was not certain to pass - when Syria indicated it would surrender its chemical stockpile
-
United States has been one of the most prominent advocates of firm action against the Syrian government, which it has accused of using chemical weapons and other atrocities.
-
It is backing Syria's "moderate opposition" with "non-lethal" assistance, including communications equipment, generators, and office supplies - but is also believed to be supplying light weapon
-
Russia is one of Mr Assad's most important international backers and has warned the US and its allies against taking one-sided action against Syria
-
Russia was key to Syria agreeing to give up chemical weapons, and backs the Geneva Communique. But it has repeatedly said Syria's future should be decided by Syrians and blocked anti-Assad resolutions at the UN Security Council. It continues to supply Syria with arms, including missile systems and aircraft
-
Britain has been a big critic of the Assad government and signed a statement in 2013 calling for a "strong international respons
-
supported military action but had to rule out Britain's involvement when he failed to secure the backing of parliament in August 2013.
-
UK, along with France, successfully lobbied for the EU's arms embargo to be lifted so as to allow further supplies to Syrian rebels
-
France has been among the most hawkish Western countries and was the first to stop recognising the Syrian government and deal with the main opposition coalition instead.
-
France up to join US military action until plans were put on hold. The president acknowledged that France could not, and would not, act on its own
-
China has joined Russia in blocking resolutions critical of Syria at the UN Security Council. It has criticised the prospect of strikes against Syria, insisting any military action without UN approval would be illegal.
-
Turkish government has been one of the most vocal critics of Syrian President Assad since early on in the uprising and signalled its willingness to join international action even without UN approval
-
Saudi Arabia has been a rival of the Syrian government for years. It has been particularly active in pushing for action against Mr Assad, and called for "all legal means possible" to be used to stop the bloodshed
-
Qatar is thought to be one of the main suppliers of weapons to Syrian rebels and says outside military intervention has become a necessity to protect the Syrian people.
-
ebanon there is deep division between supporters and opponents of President Assad. The country has suffered from an overspill of violence, including bomb attacks, as well as a huge flood of refugees. It has said it thinks military intervention might make the situation worse.
-
Jordan has also received hundreds of thousands of refugees and has called for a political solution to the conflic
-
Israel regards President Assad as an enemy, but has refrained from publicly backing military action against him. It fears its backing could alienate the Arab world,
1More
Saving Syria: International law is not the answer - Al Jazeera English - 0 views
www.aljazeera.com/...2013827123244943321.html
syria international law Geneva Convention legal rights chemical weapons
shared by hkerby2 on 02 Mar 15
- No Cached
1More
Syria regime says peace talks to start from March 14 - Yahoo News - 0 views
1More
Russia's Lavrov, U.S. Kerry express full support for Syria peace talks - 0 views
7More
Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East's 30 year war » The Spectator - 0 views
www.spectator.co.uk/...armageddon-awaits
proxy wars leadership polarization US Saudi Iran the middle east war
shared by allieggg on 21 Nov 14
- No Cached
-
There are those who think that the region as a whole may be starting to go through something similar to what Europe went through in the early 17th century during the Thirty Years’ War, when Protestant and Catholic states battled it out. This is a conflict which is not only bigger than al-Qa’eda and similar groups, but far bigger than any of us. It is one which will re-align not only the Middle East, but the religion of Islam.
-
Either way there will be a need for a Treaty of Westphalia-style solution — a redrawing of boundaries in a region where boundaries have been bursting for decades.
-
But for the time being, a distinct and timeless stand-off between two regional powers, with religious excuses and religiously affiliated proxies will in all probability remain the main driver of this conflict.
- ...3 more annotations...
-
‘Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the birthplace of Islam. As such, it is the eminent leader of the wider Muslim world. Iran portrays itself as the leader of not just the minority Shiite world, but of all Muslim revolutionaries interested in standing up to the West.’
-
‘Saudi Arabia will oppose any and all of Iran’s actions in other countries, because it is Saudi Arabia’s position that Iran has no right to meddle in other nations’ internal affairs, especially those of Arab states.’
-
Saudi officials more recently called for the Iranian leadership to be summoned to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes. Then, just the month before last, as the P5+1 countries eased sanctions on Iran after arriving at an interim deal in Geneva, Saudi saw its greatest fear — a nuclear Iran — grow more likely. And in the immediate aftermath of the Geneva deal, Saudi sources darkly warned of the country now taking Iranian matters ‘into their own hands’. There are rumours that the Saudis would buy nuclear bombs ‘off the shelf’ from their friends in Pakistan if Iran ever reaches anything like the nuclear threshold. In that case, this Westphalian solution could be prefaced with a mushroom cloud.
-
This article touches on an array of ideas but for the sake of my research I focused on the "Thirty Years War" section. Douglass Murray from The Spectator conveys the perspective that the Middle East is likely to be going through a similar 17th century European 30 years war, when Protestant and Catholics launched a full fledged war against one another. This means that religious war in the Middle East is so much bigger than just al-Qaeda and similar groups. The conflict will re-align the region, but also the entire religion of Islam. Douglass says the outcome would call for a Treaty of Westphalia-style solution, redrawing boundaries of a region where they've been bursting for decades. For the time being the drivers of the conflict is a standoff between the two regional powers and their affiliated proxies, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
1More
Kerry and Iran's Zarif to try narrow gaps in nuclear talks - 0 views
3More
Yemen civilians shudder, bristle under bombing campaign - US News - 0 views
-
The U.N. human rights office in Geneva said that in the past five days, at least 93 civilians have been killed and 364 wounded in five Yemeni cities engulfed in the violence, including, Sanaa. The overall figures are likely much higher and it was not immediately clear if the casualties cited by Geneva referred to just airstrikes or the strikes and fighting between Yemen's warring factions. The Saudi-led coalition says rebels have set up positions near civilians but that it is doing its best to avoid civilian casualties
1More
Syria leader Bashar Assad rejects "transitional body" demand by opposition in Geneva pe... - 0 views
11More
BBC News - Russia and China veto UN move to refer Syria to ICC - 0 views
-
Russia and China have vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have referred the conflict in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC
-
More than 60 countries supported the French-drafted text calling for an investigation into alleged war crimes being committed by both sides
-
It is the fourth time Russia and China have blocked Western resolutions relating to the situation in Syria
- ...7 more annotations...
-
The 13 other members of the Security Council voted on Thursday in favour of the draft resolution, which condemned the "widespread violation" of human rights and international humanitarian law by Syrian government forces, as well as abuses by "non-state armed groups
-
France put forward the draft after the collapse of the UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva in January and February, and amid growing horror at atrocities committed by both sides, reports the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in New Yor
-
The Syrian government had called the resolution "biased" and an effort to "sabotage any chance of peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis led by the Syrian people themselves
-
US envoy Samantha Power said that because of Russia and China's decision "to back the Syrian regime no matter what it does, the Syrian people will not see justice
-
Syria is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the ICC. Unless the government ratifies the treaty or accepts the jurisdiction of the court through a declaration, the ICC can only obtain jurisdiction if the Security Council refers the situation there to the court
-
Russia and China once again veto a resolution that would have lead to an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of Syrian governments possible violation of human rights, and international humanitarian law. This is the fourth time both countries have vetoed resolutions relating to the situation in Syria.
9More
Syrian crisis: India, China and Russia call for peace negotiations | Business Standard ... - 0 views
www.business-standard.com/...gotiations-115020201360_1.html
india china russia peace ISIS syria politics war
shared by fcastro2 on 02 Mar 15
- No Cached
-
India, China and Russia on Monday reiterated that there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis and urged all parties to abjure violence and resume peace negotiations
-
The Foreign Ministers of the three sides called on the Syrian Government and opposition factions to resume the Geneva process as soon as possible, stick to the approach of political settlement and draw on the useful experience of others to find a "middle way" that conforms to Syria's national conditions and accommodates the interests of all parties, and start the national reconciliation process at an early date.
-
They highly valued the efforts by Russia to convene the first meeting of inter-Syrian consultations between representatives of the Syrian Government and opposition groups in January 2015
- ...5 more annotations...
-
The Foreign Ministers expressed deep concern over the ongoing turmoil in Iraq and its spill over effects, and emphasized their respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, and their support for the efforts of the Iraqi government to uphold domestic stability and combat terroris
-
all parties in Iraq enhance unity and reconciliation so as to swiftly restore national stability and social order.
-
They called on all parties to support the Iraqi government and people in their efforts to build a stable, inclusive and united Iraq taking into account the interests of all segments of the Iraqi society
-
The Ministers urged the international community to provide continued assistance and humanitarian support for Iraqi refugees and internally displaced people
5More
Russia to host Syria talks in April | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR - 0 views
www.dailystar.com.lb/...host-syria-talks-in-april.ashx
russia syria talks middle east ISIS politics war
shared by fcastro2 on 06 Mar 15
- No Cached
-
MOSCOW: Moscow said Thursday it would host talks between representatives of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and opposition figures in April, three months after a meeting between the parties which ended without any concrete results.
-
Moscow - one of Assad's few remaining allies - is trying to kickstart dialogue between the warring parties in a bid to end nearly four years of civil war that has claimed more than 200,000 lives since 2011
- ...1 more annotation...
-
The document stipulates that a solution to the conflict should be found "politically and peacefully," rejects foreign interference and calls for sanctions to be lifted.
20More
Syrian Opposition Groups Wary Of Russia's Invitation To Moscow : NPR - 0 views
www.npr.org/...f-russias-invitation-to-moscow
russia opposition groups syria politics peace talks war
shared by fcastro2 on 13 Feb 15
- No Cached
-
U.N. envoy is pressing ahead on that front, while Russia tries to play peacemaker
-
Russia is inviting the parties to Moscow this month, but some opposition groups won't go to a country that has been backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
-
- ...14 more annotations...
-
they provide weapons and advice to the Assad regime and they have taken an approach of cherry-picking who they talk to and who the regime talks to
-
The U.S. is not pressuring the opposition groups it supports to go to Moscow. Instead it's suggesting they should think about it so that Russia can't blame the opposition for the diplomatic stalemate
-
"If there are no guarantees as to the end state, that is, a movement towards a transitional government with full executive powers without Assad, then there is really no reason to go
-
Russians aren't in a position to decide who will take part in future negotiations. And this has been the whole problem with their approach.
-
-
He says the Russian job has always been to deliver the regime to the negotiating table, but the Syrian government only wants to talk about fighting terrorism, not discuss a political transition.
-
We are hoping, more than expecting, that it will be a success," he says.De Mistura describes Syria as the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II
-
They all agree that we need to do something to avoid that the Syrian conflict goes into a back burner and that movement towards some type of political solution should take place this year,"
-
He says that's because Assad thinks he's winning — and U.S. plans to train and equip 5,000 moderate rebels a year won't help level the playing field.
-
The rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State and the U.S.-led airstrikes against that group in both Syria and Iraq now top the U.S. agenda.
-
war in Syria has been raging for nearly four years and it's been challenging for diplomats to get warring sides to agree on even temporary truces.
-
23More
BBC News - Arab uprising: Country by country - Syria - 0 views
- ...19 more annotations...
-
Opposition supporters began to take up arms, first to defend themselves and then to oust loyalist forces from their areas.
-
dropped an article giving the ruling Baath Party unique status as the "leader of the state and society"
1More