A Speech and A letter makes into an Action

By Swaleha Malik

The developments of the previous weeks have effectively settled the enthusiasm of the US President of attacking Syria.  His last efforts to energize his nation and congress men, was on Tuesday, 16 minute address in which he tried his best to remind the public that why it is so necessary to act and attack. He was persuading his nation to the re-think of the innocent women and children being killed in chemical attack.
Anyone who had all his ears open, brain working and in a state of logical frame of mind can easily and safely conclude that President’s speech was least pragmatic, least rational, least convincing on a serious subject of attacking a sovereign nation let alone being objective.

First of all he was kind enough to mention and admit that the nation was in no mood of getting into another war. Yet he was attempting to change their minds to of no use. Making a point that he wants to avoid the war, he pressed the fact that he has resisted “calls for military actions”, and asked for congress to postpone a vote authorizing military action-a vote he was to lose anyways. But he said that his threat of military action led to diplomatic opening.
All the reasons he provided as a foundation to the case were weak enough. If the violation of international law is the reason; then let’s not forget who attacked Iraq in 2003 making the preemptive strikes as a ground to serve their national security interest, an asymmetrical warfare in Afghanistan, that too without the authorization of UNSC.
If the proliferation and usage of chemical weapons is the issue, then let’s get back to the fact that this mighty and exceptional state did not bother to act when Iraq had used chemical weapons against Iran, simply because they were allies then. As for proliferation, if you are not an  ally, and a  threat to Israel, it’s a sin. Keep your WMD off Israel. And the nation who themselves had used nuclear bomb in Japan now would advocate the case of chemical weapons being lethal. However, they can kill more people just by conventional weapons.

If killing of 1400 civilians is the reason, then someone must provide a crash course of comparative analysis of innocent people being killed by US forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and people being killed only by drone strikes in Pakistan, but stop noo…..they are the part of collateral damage, US has already expressed their regret and Iraqis needed a regime change and there was a Al-Qaeda as usual posing a threat to US national security interest.

However, he did made an attempt to convey that once strike would be over, “we would redouble our efforts to achieve a political solution that strengthens those who reject the forces of tyranny and extremism”. Only if this indispensable nation and their allies make  a single effort to stop providing the arms and financial aid to opposition forces, the civil war will come to an end and political settlement would be achieved but perhaps this isn’t the goal.  And some one must tell them that state has the right to use of force and has monopoly over using force in the state.

Mr. President’s speech proved extremely frustrating for his Russian Counterpart and led him to write an open letter to educate American Nation with all the right reasons and explanations for not going to the war.
He kept his upper lip stiffer but wrote with much more responsibility, emphasizing the fact that strike would lead to more deaths only. It would undermine the power of UN, making it ineffective organization. It would lead to further de-stabilization of Middle-east making it much more difficult to strike a political settlement. This would lead  to more chaos and can “put international law and order out of balance”.

He also explained the nature of conflict going on in Syria and did not fail to remind that who are the key players in keeping rebel forces so far in the action. The situation calls for preserving international law. Pressing the fact that  attack can be done only in the case of self-defense that’s absent in this case and would make it aggression.
His letter was powerful enough to make Americans re-think that why there has been an increase in anti-American sentiments across the globe. Rightly pointing to the fact that behaving in forceful manner ,would only  lead nations to acquire WMD, so as to ensure their sovereignty and deterrence against foreign aggression and stressed that diplomatic and all political tools be used to work out the solution.

Last but not least, he emphasized that this is the time to stop thinking of “being ones as exceptional as God has created us equal”. Giving a psychological break to this nation.
Now this made President Putin steering the events into a rightful direction ,where he got his objectives achieved. Securing a diplomatic life for Syrian President Bashar, making Russia indispensable actor in Syrian case adding to Russian prestige. Being able to re-assert Russian interest in the region. Giving enough of tough time to Obama turning the tables to his favor this time around, coming up with proposal, backed by china to give up C-weapons. Road has been paved for negotiations. Providing an edge where certainly Russian president takes a center stage and emerge as a hero. After all he was able to secure the stakes. Needless to say, Putin can be next the most deserving candidate for Nobel-prize.