Syria is undergoing through the armed conflict between the rebels who oppose President Bashar Al Assad’s rule and forces that are loyal to him. The origin of the conflict ranges from political repression to the uneven economy. The change in the ruling system in Syria can only take place through a military coup since the leadership has remained in one family since 1970 (Manfreda par. 1). When the Pa resident took the throne upon the death of his father in 2000, he maintained the status quo of anti-reforms. Also, families with close ties with President Assad were the ones who could access the privatization of assets.
This inequality also prompted the start of the uprising in March 2011. The two years of the Syrian war have worsened the living conditions, especially in the opposition-held areas. The UN Office that coordinates humanitarian aid contented that they are unable to access these regions as Syria has blocked aid deliveries. The use of force by the world group led to the suffering of families, as they cannot receive aid from the UN.
Moreover, the malnourished population is suffering from numerous diseases, mostly waterborne diseases from unclean water. Also, people could not access medical centers; only Turkish NGOs could supply medical products to some centers in the opposition-held areas. The WHO had estimated that close to 550,000 people are living in the worst humanitarian conditions and health centers are overwhelmed due to understaffing and lack of adequate resources. Since that time to date, the use of force by the two groups has led to the death of 22,000 to 25,000 Syrians, displacement of close to 22 million people and over 1.3 million people have become refugees in other countries (Manfreda par. 3).
The forceful engagements between the two rival camps have led to a human catastrophe in which innocent civilians pay the price for the inability of the camps to end the war. President Assad continued the use of force to fight the rebels have led to murder, torture, and sexual abuse to children. This condition has made it impossible for many people to have food and others are fully traumatized. This brutal conflict is not only destroying Syria’s present but also its future. Some families had been burnt in houses and towns reduced into ashes. The use of force has violated human rights to law, which is a high level of impunity.
The Syrian antagonist forces should stop using force against each other; the weapons used in the uprising have negatively affected the lives of the Syrian citizens. For instance, the United Nations noted that there have been 8,000 civilians crossing the border since February 2013 (Ghitis par. 5).
These people move to other countries like Turkey and Lebanon. Their infiltration can cause insecurity issues in the accommodating country. The movement can also lead to social problems among the refugees, due to unsafe conditions in their short-lived residences. Moreover, the receiving nations are burdened with meeting the basic needs of the refugees. Lebanon, for instance, has recorded a refugee influx until its population has grown by 10%.
Syria should stop using force on its citizens when solving conflicts given the adverse effects of such actions. With the bureaucratic obstacles on the provision of aids by international bodies, some children in Turkey have died of hunger. Although one may argue that the weapons that the rebels are using make it necessary for the government army to use force to quell the uprising, the various effects that touch on social life to economic perspectives are highly vital.
In late February 2013, an explosion went up in Damascus and killed over 50 people who were mostly schoolchildren. During the same period, 58 people died due to a missile attack in the city of Aleppo. Clearly, the extent of human suffering is going beyond the limit. The Syrian loyal forces and the rebels have continued to blame each other on the atrocities in the country. This blame game cannot solve anything as the citizens continue living a devastating lifestyle. The Syrian uprising has taken longer than the other Arab uprisings (Ghitis par. 9). Therefore, the use of force by the Syrian soldiers to crash the rebels have caused more damage than good.
On the other front, the use of force in Syria will continue destroying the economic pillars of the country. For instance, the Syrian’s infrastructure and services have crumbled thus making goods from industries becoming unavailable. The textile industry, for instance, has been closed. They lack funds to produce these products and if they can produce these goods, there is no distribution network due to the rampant destructions.
The massive killings and the unfavorable environment has made it impossible for companies to operate. According to Abdullah al-Dardari, who was the deputy premier in Assad’s government, it will cost Syria a total of $80 billion to reconstruct its economy. The two years conflict has destroyed entire Syria’s economy. The forceful act of the military against opposition fighters has caused several casualties; this has influenced the economy negatively.
Also, there have been unstable foreign exchange reserves and the rising value of the Syrian pound. In the last 21 months, this country has lost over $48.4 billion; this is close to 82% of the country’s GDP for 2010 and an increase in the employment rate from 8% to 33.3% (Ozmichli par. 1). Syria had been undergoing through a modest growth in the economy before the uprising. This trend took a twist when the military used force in responding to the demonstrators’ demands.
The agricultural sector, which is the source of livelihood for over 7 million people and at one time made up 18% of the Gross Domestic Product, has experienced a decrease in production by half due to the forceful acts. In the tourism sector, close to 275,000 employees have been rendered jobless and Damascus that had been an attractive historical city merely receives no tourist. The European Union also acted during this time by banning oil purchases to their companies. This further weakened the economy of Syria. If the Syrian Government could have not forcefully responded to the demands of the rebels, there could have been no fatalities, humanitarian problems and the massive decline in the economy.
On the other hand, the use of force by the powerful nations likes the US, Britain, and France have saved thousands of lives in Syria. The UN’s immediate response and declaration on no-fly zone assisted in guarding civilians against the wrath of the Syrian troops. Further, Syria and North Korea have key partners in the Middle East, some of which include China, Russia, and Iran. These nations have different ideologies to the Western nations and will always offer financial support to both North Korea and Syria to rebel the US forceful attempts.
North Korea and Syria have been China’s major trading blocks; therefore, an attempt to use force by the Western nations to quell the situation will not be received lightly by the trading partners. This support by the Arab nations, through the Arab League, can lead to the Third World War if not checked well. There are two blocks in these crises; this has led to divisions in these nations. For instance, in Syria, the rebels receive financial and ideological support from the Western nations while the Arab League and other trading partners fund the Syrian Government soldiers.
North Korea on its part has a philosophy of attacking South Korea in case any nation attacks them. Therefore, using force in North Korea could lead to cross-border or third-party problems. The former UN Secretary General Koffi Annan agrees that in solving the Syrian situation, there should be no use of force as it may cause more complications. Moreover, there will be more problems that are humanitarian and economic breakdown than before like in the case of Iraq.
Of immense concern are the oil fields in Syria; the Western nations have to adopt other methods like diplomacy to stop the Syrian problem. Oil being a major product that controls the economy of the world, US, and its friends have to avoid force in resolving the situation. This is due to the possibility of destructions that can occur to the oil drilling sites and tanks. Notably, the rebels have been battling on the Eastern part of Syria to control the oil fields. The government soldiers can decide to bomb these sites in case they sense defeat during the forceful attack by the Western nations.
Libya is an example of an oil producing country that bombed its oil wells during the forceful resolution. In such a scenario, the price of major commodities in the world will go up, thus causing hunger in some parts of the world. Also, the oil factor can make countries such as China and Russia join the forceful process of conflict resolution. This can culminate into a war between the interested nations (“UN: Iran, North Korea, and Syria cynically block lifesaving arms treaty” par. 5). In the entire world, oil has remained a contentious issue in economic development; it has increased the formation of extremist groups, thereby raising tension in the world.
The use of force can also be in the form of France and the UK arming the Syrian rebels. A clear limitation of this move is the possibility of the weapons getting in the hands of the extremist groups. An extremist group like Al-Qaida can use these firearms to attack other peaceful nations. The US should also be cautious in using force to solve Syria’s situation since some rebels target to control the oil wells as others are determined to form the Islamic state of Syria.
Additionally, the Nuclear Programme in North Korea can also pose some limitations in the use of force to the big powers. Nations that manufacture weapons of mass destruction (WMD) can easily cause massive destructions and catastrophic attacks on other parts of the world. The hostile states like Iran and North Korea can test their weapons on other countries if they are provoked through forceful resolutions (“Use of force not to resolve the Syrian problem” par. 1). At present, the big powers do not know North Korea’s potential with its nuclear weapons. For instance, US fears attacks that can emanate should it attack these countries in the Middle East.
An example is evident in the 2001 bombing of the Twins Towers in the US that was due to numerous attacks on Iraq. The US had also suffered several loses with the bombing of its Kenyan Embassy in 1998. On 12 February 2013, North Korea tested its nuclear bomb; it immediately received fresh UN sanctions. North Korea has surged up in nuclear development and special armed force of 250,000 in number. This prompted North Korea to warn the US that it will attack its military bases in the Pacific Ocean (“North Korea threatens to attack US military bases in Pacific if provoked” par. 7).
Markedly, Israel has claimed that Iran and Hezbollah are recruiting forces to assist Syria and even extend the rule of President Bashar Al-Assad in case the big powers attack it. This controversy has spilled over between China and South Korea. At one instance, all the servers of some broadcasting stations in South Korea were hacked. The information and communication regulators identified that the IP address of the hackers had originated from China (Borger par. 8).
On the part of North Korea, it is one of the countries, which massively violate human rights even after signing the human right treaties. It practices arbitrary arrest, imprisonment, and mistreatment of detainees. More than one thousand citizens, including children, are in captivity. The government arrests citizens in case of anti-social crimes such as hoarding of food and stealing state property.
In 2011, the chairperson of the National Defense Commission (NDC), Kim Jon-II appointed his son (Kim Jong-un) to continue with the family reign (“World Report 2012: North Korea” par. 2). In February 2011 became the vice chairperson of NDS, this made him reinforce the earlier appointment toward the United Nations Commission to inquire about North Korea. The protection of human rights started after the launching of the international coalition to stop crimes against humanity in North Korea in September 2011.
A joint UN survey in March 2011 revealed that more than six million poor people lack food thereby requiring an international aid to intervene. The media in the country reported many deaths that resulted from hunger. In addition, mismanagement of the monetary evaluation scheme wiped out all the savings of many citizens contributed to hunger. International donors like the USA and southern Korea stopped their food donation until 2010 when North Korea apologized for interfering with the internal affairs of Southern Korea. Moreover, government officials who were enforcing dictatorship tortured many citizens.
In 2010, many people died including women raped by the military while other deaths resulted from torture. Besides, the National Security Agency operates the Gwalliso camps or forced labor camps where rebellious citizens are handicapped (“World Report 2012: North Korea” par. 4). In the camps, people are mistreated, denied food and medical access. In the Gwalliso camp, people operate under harsh labor, for instance, using poor tools in logging and mining thus leading to many deaths.
Further, in North Korea, one must get permission from the states when leaving the country, failure to do so leads to torture and punishment by the authorities; the country considers this a crime. If one is suspected of engaging in the moneymaking scheme, a penalty of forced labor brigade’s follows while those associating with South Koreans eat spoiled food and are subjected to harsh working conditions.
Additionally, the North Korean government sells young girls and women as prostitutes in China and children born from prostitution live without legal identity from the Chinese government. The judiciary in North Korea is not transparent as Workers’ Party, which is ruling North Korea, controls it. In addition, suspects do not undergo nominal judicial process but are sent to labor camp together with their families.
The North Korean government does not allow labor rights; in fact, the law-governing workers are of low standard as compared to international standards, which allows collective bargaining, protection from sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Notably, North Korea is a non-member of the International Labor Organization, and the ruling KWP controls the allowed organization union of trade. The North Korean government denies its citizen the right to move, associate and communicate instead it dictates its citizens by use of threats and public executions (“World Report 2012: North Korea” par. 5).
Also, it has forced laws that limit movement, assembly, and travel and failure to obey the laws lead to severe punishment. The media comprising of radios and television and publications are controlled and convey information proved and accepted by the government. Also, the use of mobile phones and social media is controlled and no access to foreign information.
The North Korean government denied the UN special rapporteur, a dialogue concerning the human right violation. It permitted Robert King in May 2011 leading to the release of the Eddie Jun, a US citizen who was in captivity for more than a year. The UN General Assembly attempt to pressurize North Korea did not succeed thus prompting the Human Right Council (HRC) to force another resolution against this country.
The two resolutions condemned North Korea for massive violation of human rights. Further, in July 2010, the European together with the UN commission decided to assess the North Korean government for mistreating people. However, concerning the nuclear and missile test, the North Korean government remained adamant and refused to hold any dialogue (“World Report 2012: North Korea” par. 6). These resolutions created enmity between North Korea and the US; for instance, Kim Jong II decided to engage Russia in trade and security.
Moreover, Japan had a poor relationship with North Korea due to the abduction of her citizens in 1970s and 1980s; eight amongst the citizens died. This killed immigration between the two countries but abducted Japanese citizens continued to escape unnoticed. The resolutions made North Korea make additional nuclear missiles creating tension as it could attack the US with bombs.
Zhang Yesuli, the Chinese Ambassador, discouraged the use of force in implementing sanctions against North Korea. This could lead to tension with the countries involving themselves in the resolution initiative. For instance, the UN Security Council decided to punish North Korea for testing the nuclear-bomb in May. It inspected air and sea cargoes suspected to have designed for nuclear missiles. Further, it burned all the money transaction towards North Korea.
China’s intervention against the resolution aimed at protecting its business with North Korea (Stone par. 3). Additionally, Susan Rice, a US ambassador discouraged the US for forcing the resolution as it could bring war. In addition, she discouraged the use of the military in carrying out a resolution as it could lead to the cold war. According to Russia and China’s report, the UN followed negotiations on an exceptionally tight sanction on North Korea, and this resulted in the donation of a nuclear device by North Korea.
This act ended the war in North Korea and test of many missiles. Further, Vitaly Churkin an ambassador of Russia saw that the resolutions could lead to tension between Korea and nations involved in the resolution. Russia and China increased interdiction and financial support to North Korea, yet at the same time, they pretend not to know what the Korean government is doing. The support from China and other Middle East countries can be a sign of sabotaging US intentions in North Korea, as a result, disagreements and war can occur between these intruder nations (Green and Varner par. 4).
Philip Parham, a UK envoy said that banning monetary transactions to North Korea could not stop the nuclear and missile program in North Korea. He further said that it will not change the state of the North Korean people but will make the government be more stubborn than before. The UN attempt to warn member nations not to cooperate with North Korea fell in deaf ears; this approach made launch another long-range missile. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty demanded North Korea to remove half of its nuclear missile and accept dialogue with Japan, South Korea, and the US.
However, US attempts to force resolutions by use of military have caused tension to the Southern Koreans, as they are targeted by Northern Korea. This can also lead to the death of many people due to test the of nuclear missiles on human beings (Green and Varner par. 6). Also, North Korea can attack Japan and America using nuclear devices and missiles that they possess, which carry extraordinarily harmful chemicals. Moreover, if the US uses surgical airstrikes to destroy nuclear reactors, it will fail to stump out nuclear programs; instead, they will encourage the increase of uranium program in Korea.
Additionally, it will lead to a calamity of refugees across borders, escaping the war that might erupt in forcing resolution with North Korea. This will impact negatively on North Korea as it will become poor; many people will starve as properties would be destroyed in case the war erupts and, finally, Kim’s regime will push blames to the US on the economic condition of North Korea. Further, the US will be under threat thereby affecting its state survival, as the North will use these weapons of mass destruction on them. Moreover, in case the US uses force, it will kill the American’s belief; the belief that the US should only use force only if the opponent interferes with its internal affairs.
The problems in the Middle East have been attracting different opinions. It is evident that the use of force in the two countries has led to more negative effects than positive impacts. The humanitarian situation, violation of human rights, and a massive decline in the economy are some of the examples of enormous threats of using force. Moreover, the big powers or the Western nations should involve friendly nations like Turkey, China, Lebanon, and Russia in solving the challenges. The existing economic interests among these countries require a different approach. These Middle East countries have hidden potentials that can extremely be destructive.
Works Cited
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