The Syrian crisis is now in it’s third year. Meanwhile; Bashar Al Assad still manages to cling to power like a cantankerous bully whose reign has seen better days. And rebel forces of all stripes in Syria are as recalcitrant as Pres. Assad is unwavering in his fight to maintain his power.
Unfortunately; the true victims of all this unspeakable violence happens to be the Syrian People and the infrastructure of the country, which has been decimated to calamitous magnitudes- while the world watches and the so-called International Community gives Lip-Service.
One has to wonder, especially for those of us living in so-called First World conditions, far removed from the blood-shed in Syria, what it must feel like for Syrians. Watching their beloved country blown up into smithereens, reconstruction which shall set the Country back decades and billions to-boot.
And the most heartbreaking of all, having to watch your Countrymen die by the tenths of thousands, those who were lucky enough to escape Syria to neighboring countries, once proud people are now subjected to onerous and deplorable conditions in refugee Camps.
Syrians must some-what feel incredulous about all this violence, if indeed it wasn’t tampered by the harsh reality on the ground. Perhaps they must feel as if the Final Days are now upon them, as the darkened night-sky is interrupted by a cacophonous chorus of artillery and gun-shot fires, and when the day brings forth light, it displays for all to see the cost of war and the impending horrors to come.
Recently, in the sublimely Picturesque Geneva Switzerland, the Syrian Government lead by Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad and the opposition met for peace talks.
Initially, the opposition demanded that as a precondition to negotiations, Pres. Bashar al-Assad must step down as President of Syria. The Syrian Government resisted and vowed to fly back to Damascus Syria if negations didn’t go on as planned.
The opposition seemed to acquiesce; face to face peace talks have gone on now for two days and have only yielded a tentative but yet narrow agreement pertaining to women and children trapped in a besieged Syrian City.
The Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister, Faisal al-Mikdad was quoted saying, “This is a red line. If some people think we are coming here to give them the keys of Damascus they are wrong.” Commenting on the opposition’s demand that their must be the creation of a transitional government in Syria decoupled from Pres. Assad if negotiations are to be successful henceforth.
The most salient question regarding Bashar al-Assad is, what role is the International Criminal Court playing in this kerfuffle (ICC)? Why isn’t Bashar al-Assad brought up on criminal charges since it has been acknowledged by the International Community that he is responsible for unspeakable atrocities in Syria?
The ICC responds has been spineless and feckless at best. This is exactly the sort of response African Leaders are complaining about.
They have accused the ICC of being bias if not Racist towards African Leader, for they are almost always the target of the ICC. Especially, when there are many other non-African leaders out there who have committed equally heinous crimes or worst, but yet they seem to elude the ICC’s radar.
For all good people, or even those of us with the most infinitesimal amounts of benevolence left, the situation in Syria has to be incredibly heartbreaking. Often, as it is customary when dealing with situations beyond ones control, I wish Syria God-Speed, Inshallah.
