The Crisis in Syria is a Catastrophic Failure of the International Community
By Noor Nahas
Following the killing of over thirty Turkish soldiers by an airstrike attributed to the Syrian regime and the Russian government, Turkey has engaged in a campaign to significantly degrade the Syrian regime’s capabilities in Idlib. According to Turkish numbers, nearly 2,100 Syrian regime soldiers have been killed or injured. While the total number of dead likely is lower, an open source investigation has counted over one hundred armor losses and tens of soldiers killed by Turkish airstrikes and recent rebel counter-offensives—a number not seen in years of fighting. Turkey’s actions, while welcomed by Syrians, comes after nine years of devastation to Syria’s economy and a total collapse of the humanitarian situation.
What many analysts had previously said would be a costly, long term, and complicated procedure requiring massive manpower and facing a robust anti-air defense system was little more than an exaggeration of the capabilities of the Syrian regime. Turkey used its drones to hit tens of targets, including an active and armed Pantsir S-1 system.
This inaction by the international community, even when faced with a never-ending stream of videos of abuse and war crimes documentation has led to what has been called the worst humanitarian disaster of the century. The Syrian regime is estimated to have committed over 300 separate chemical weapons attacks using chlorine and sarin, alongside the use of airstrikes, barrel bombs, and artillery strikes that have killed tens of thousands and turned entire towns into rubble.
Since the start of this year, the combined Russian and regime offensive has created nearly one million new IDPs in Idlib, something the Russian government denies is even happening, as people flee in fear. The humanitarian situation inside of regime-held Syria remains just as dark, with a government that has turned to exploiting its people to sustain itself. Opposition areas that have reconciled with the regime continue to suffer from lack of aid and a growing insurgency.
International aid meant for refugees and IDPs is regularly used by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), as the flow of aid is manipulated and controlled by the regime. With sanctions mounting against it, the regime can only consume its own infrastructure to fuel its war machine, so it harvests doors, washing machines, and metals like copper pipes and wires from recaptured towns and homes. Syria sold so much stolen copper alloy, it briefly became one of its most significant exports. Syria’s chief backers, Russia and Iran, both face worsening economies and sanctions of their own, and are unable to foot the bill for rebuilding the country.
Millions of refugees languish in camps in neighboring countries waiting for a resolution to the war. With little access to aid, education, or even basic necessities, many refugees now face efforts by these host countries to force their return to a country that cannot support them and sees them as enemies. Faced with the prospect of almost a million more refugees on top of the already more than three million refugees it hosts, Turkey has opened its borders with Europe to allow refugees to make their way to Europe. With thousands already making the journey, Turkey hopes to use this threat of another refugee wave to push Europe to back its offensive and possibly ease sanctions and restrictions on Turkey.
Turkey’s actions against the Syrian regime are a good first step, but the international community must step up and support Turkey’s operations against the regime and at the same time create space for those displaced by war to return and rebuild, outside of the control of the Assad regime.
Half measures, apathy, and inaction are what allowed Syria to become the shambling corpse it is today. Had the international community taken actions like Turkey is taking today, we may have saved a country, rather than leave it to a generation that has only known war, to inherit a graveyard.
Noor Nahas is an open source investigator with Offbeat Research who has also covered the MENA region, OSINT research, and disinformation with Bellingcat. You can follow him on Twitter at @noornahas1.
Image by Marienna Pope-Weidemann is licensed under C BY-NC-SA 2.0
