Syria Conflict Panel

On Tuesday night September 10, 2013 at Busboys and Poets an audience watched on a big screen television as President Barrack Obama addressed the nation in regards to the Syrian Civil War. He touched upon the importance of US military intervention in Syria and emphasizing the danger of Syria's possession of chemical arms and how the use of them is in violation of international law. Obama also addressed the importance of Congressional approval for military action against Syria. He spoke on the nature of the military intervention, stating that it will be a surgical strike and that there will be no 'boots on the ground.'

There were three speakers on the panel including S-CAR’s Dr. Rich Rubenstein, Ramah Kudaimi and Phyllis Bennis. The panel discussed the benefits of diplomacy in conflict resolution over military intervention. Rich Rubenstein emphasized the importance of conflict resolution in the Syrian conflict stating that the possession and use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime was speculative because of the allegation that the rebels also possessed chemical weapons and that they had also used them in the past. Ramah Kudaimi stated that from her prior experience in Syria both the Assad regime and the rebels were perpetrating the current atrocities, which was in the form of the collective punishment of neighborhoods harboring rebels and the rebels targeting and killing of Alawite civilians. Phyllis Bennis highlighted the importance of President Barrack Obama's phrase 'surgical strike' - warning the audience that the Bush Administration made similar statements prior to the 2003 Iraq war.

The panel agreed that US military intervention would be counter-productive towards resolving the conflict in Syria. For Syria to have a long term positive peace from this conflict both sides will need to be willing to negotiate and come to a mutual agreement. The consequences of military intervention or inaction from the international community could lead to the deepening of the humanitarian crisis in Syria and neighboring countries that have accepted Syrian refugees. The need to find alternative solutions to the civil war in Syria is important. Fortunately, possibly alternative solutions were discussed in the panel. Dr. Rubenstein summed up the Obama administration as "wanting to use soft power and pursue a policy of imperialism simultaneously." Overall, a consensus that diplomatic solutions be explored was reached and that a policy of non-intervention needs to be explored more thoroughly.

Keith D. Singleton Jr. has a Master's degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) who served in Morocco in Youth Development.