Chemistry should be a useful science in the service of human progress, for example using it for agricultural development, something which could do so much good in countries like Iraq and Syria. But in the Middle East of tribalism, hatred and endless sectarian killings, chemistry has another use altogether-it has become the angel of death in the hands of murderous dictators.
The pictures from the village of Khan Shaikhoun in North West Syria have caused ripples all over the world, or have they? Depends on the eye of the beholder, but surely it had to cause ripples. Beyond the immediate effect of shock, it had to shatter the world conscience, because it was so expected, so likely to happen, and yet it did. That is to say that at least some of the tears shed over the poor Syrian children were crocodile tears. Some context is in place here.
Use of chemical weapons in inter-Arab wars is nothing new. The Egyptians did it in the Yemen civil war from 1962 to 1965, but then, in an era of limited communication accessibility, it did not have the shock effect that it deserved already then.
In March of 1988, Iraq of Saddam Hussein gassed to death 6000 Kurds in the village of Halabja, in one of the deadliest ever chemical attacks in history. The immediate perpetrator was Ali Hassan Al Majid, Saddam’s cousin, who became known as Chemical Ali, a terrible war criminal, who was hanged after the American invasion in 2003. Before Halabja, both Iran and Iraq used chemical materials against each other in the deadly war of 1980-1988.
So, after Chemical Ali, why not Chemical Bashar? The Syrian dictator used chemicals from early on in the Syrian civil war. President Obama then set the ‘’Red Line’’ test about that, but caved in exactly when it was verified that Assad crossed the line. No surprise then that in his hour of predicament, the murderous Syrian dictator uses chemical weapons.
This is a time of major stress for Bashar, because his own Capital is under attack by the Sunni rebels and some other fronts were opened for his depleted army. Chemical weapons pose no moral issue for Bashar Assad, as survivability is his only concern, and in order to achieve that, he will go to every extreme, including more, much larger chemical attacks. This blog has cautioned repeatedly about the ethnic cleansing strategy of the Alawite regime against the Sunni majority, and this is going to increase, rather than decrease, because the Alawites see the current struggle as their live or die war.
It follows therefore, that if the current situation in Syria will persist, with Assad having a freedom of action to continue gassing the Sunni people of Syria, those who decry now the atrocities, and are likely to do it in the future, are not really sincere. Let us start with the Trump Administration, which just days ago gave Bashar the green light to continue his rampage by stating that his removal is no more an American priority. The proximity of the latest chemical outrage to that statement is not accidental. In the jungle world of Bashar and company, it was taken to be a sign of weakness. Dictators understand weakness, and this is a Korean lesson, not just a Middle Eastern one. With Bashar going wild now, the Trump Administration has a golden opportunity to retract its earlier statement, and set again the goal of Assad’s removal as a priority. As we say in Hebrew, I was a child, and now I am older, so I know better than that.
Trump will not retract this policy, but then, he still can come up with other options to deal with Bashar, even if the murderous dictator is to stay sheltered in his palace, formally considered the President of Syria. For example, here is one- it is to conduct psychological warfare campaign directed towards the Alawite population of Syria with a single, strict and coherent message―put pressure on YOUR favorite son to stop the genocidal campaign, because if not―YOU will be in danger. Yes, it sounds bad, but this is Syria―a terrible communal war, and in a situation like that, those who REALLY care about the situation, should get out of the box. American aircraft flying over the Alawite territory and disseminating Arabic flyers to that effect, should be used in the campaign proposed here. Part of the same campaign will be to guarantee the Alawite poulation , that no Sunni retaliatory genocidal policies against the Alawites will be allowed in the future.
And what about Vladimir Putin and all that? Well, about time, that instead of having the US guessing him all the time, he should guess the US. No one can ascertain what his reaction will be, but in the past he blinked first on occasions. It can happen again-try him, go beyond the routine thinking, do not cry over the children of Syria-do something to actually save them.