Ian+Wiles

Name: Ian Wiles Country: Mexico

Since March 2011, Syria has been engaged in a bloody civil conflict. Chemical weapons are confirmed to have been used by the Syrian government on its own citizens. Since the beginning of the civil war, Mexico has strongly condemned the Syrian government's actions. Mexico has called for the collection, documentation, and destruction of said chemical weapons, and has sought coalitions with other countries in order to increase the pressure on Syria to adhere to international law, especially in regard to the use of chemical weapons.

The Syrian crisis began as the government put down protests that were a result of the Arab spring in 2011. The Sunni Muslim majority of Syrians took the Arab spring as a chance to move towards increased democratization in their country. The protests and riot-control escalated into a full fledged civil war, with a death toll estimated to be around 90,000. Syrian officials view their opposition as Islamic fanatics seeking to punish the more secular Syrians and religious minorities. The conflict has caused the displacement of thousands of Syrians into other nearby countries. The member-states of the UN are being urged by the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle to use military force, if necessary, to remove Bashar Al-Assad and his supporters from power in order to stop the genocide of the Syrian people. Economic sanctions have been placed upon Syria by the EU, the United States, Turkey, and the Arab League, which has subsequently removed Syria from its list of member-states. The UN Security council has made attempts to condemn Syria for its human rights violations, but these attempts have been blocked by both China and Russia. Despite Albania's recent refusal to be the host country for the dismantling of Syria's chemical arsenal, the process to remove the deadly sarin gas from the possession of the Syrian government is well underway. The civil war in Syria continues to rage on. Before the Obamacare website launched and became the primary focus of the American media, there was question of whether or not the United States should invade Syria in order to stop the genocide of Syria's people. The biggest problem, however, is that no matter which side triumphs, few countries will benefit. While it is true that many Syrian civilians are likely totally innocent, many insurgents in the free Syrian army have ties to Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Which is better, a secular dictatorship or an extremist state?

As America's third largest trade partner, and due to the fact that it will probably not be greatly affected by the outcome of the Syrian civil war, Mexico is largely in the same boat as the United States. As a result of the mutually beneficial economic relationship that Mexico enjoys with the US, it would likely favor whichever proposal would be least damaging to the either the American or Mexican economy. What should be done is as follows: Mexico should, in addition to continuing to push for the destruction of chemical weapons, pressure the surrounding Arab League countries to intervene in the conflict. This will prevent the United States from possibly entering into another costly war to dethrone Al-Assad, which may give the Al-Qaeda affiliated rebels a chance to gain power in Syria. Hardly a good replacement for a secular totalitarian state, at least from an economic and national security point of view. The rise of a state with strong ties to Al-Qaeda and similar terrorist groups presents a considerable threat against the security of America, whose trade in goods with Mexico totaled over 494 billion dollars in 2012. In order to prevent either another single-party or religiously extremist state, Mexico should propose to both the United Nations and the Arab League that Syria be allowed to re-enter the Arab League as long as certain democratic standards are met within a reasonable amount of time. After the either the conflict subsides on its own or is invaded by other middle-eastern states, the member-countries of the Arab would have to station troops within Syria's borders in order to maintain order until Syria is on its way towards democratic practices. Free elections will be encouraged and maintained by either the UN or the Arab League, and party affiliation will become vastly more encouraged liberalized. The remaining factions of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath party, the party of which Al-Assad is a member, will continue to be a legitimate, legal political party. Bashar Al-Assad, however, will be brought to the International Criminal Court to answer for his use of chemical weapons. If all major conflicts within Syria subside within two years after the official end of the civil war, and Syria has the foundations for a reasonably democratic system of government, the Arab League nations will remove their presence from Syria. If Syria continues to show signs of political and social improvement after that troop withdrawal, it will, in time, be considered for re-entry into the Arab League. This solution prevents the United States from having to be directly involved, and ensures that Syria will not reemerge in the future as a threat to western nations, benefiting both the United States and Mexico.