Red Crosss Confirms Syria's Civil War

by John M. Curtis
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Copyright July 14, 2012
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                Confirming that Syria is indeed in a real civil war, the International Committee of the Red Cross certified that Syria was involved in an “internal armed conflict.”  Syria’s 46-year-old President Bashar al-Assad has been telling Western officials that he’s been at war with armed insurgents and terrorists, often blaming the United States for supporting rebel groups.  When U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called on the White House to start bombing Syria March 4, President Barack Obama gave him the cold shoulder.  Barack’s been heavily invested in ending U.S. foreign wars, having ended the Iraq War Dec. 20, 2011 and feverishly attempting to end the Afghanistan conflict.  McCain’s July 8 calls to arm Syrian rebels irks Russia and China, both allies believe al-Assad has every right to defend his sovereignty.  With the ICRC’s report, it’s clear that foreign intervention makes the civil war worse.

             Syria’s civil war began March 15, 2011, less than two months after Tunisian dictator President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ejected from Tunis Jan. 18, 2011.  It didn’t take long for what’s known as the “Arab Spring” to spread to Egypt where 84-year-old Hosni Mubarak was driven from Cairo Feb. 11, 2011.  Riding the same revolutionary wave, Syrian rebels seek to oust al-Hassad, prompting Western governments’ calls for regime change.  While McCain calls for arming Syrian rebels, Russian and China, two of Syria’s biggest trading partners, back the al-Assad regime, despite the current unrest.  According to the Geneva-based ICRC, the Syrian clashes involve civil wars between unidentified rebel forces and al-Assad’s government, causing heavy civilian casualties.  About 14,000 civilians have lost their lives since March 15, 2011, according to Amnesty International.

            No one really knows the source of the civilian massacres centering on Homs, Hama and Idhib.  Blamed by the Syrian government on U.S.-backed rebels, the Syrian government hasn’t pinpointed the source of the revolt, believed more attached to Saudi-backed Wahhabist factions seeking to topple al-Assad’s Alawite Shiite minority.  “There is non-international armed conflict in Syria.  Not every place is affected, but it is not only limited to those areas, it has spread to several other areas,” said ICRC spokesman Hichman Hassan.  ICRC insists that all combatants are bound by international law and are subject to human rights violations.  Hassan warns that anyone attacking civilians and committing murder, torture and rape, or use of excessive force against civilians can be charged with war crimes at the Hague’s International Criminal Court.  All combatants are bound by the 1949 Geneva Convention.  

            Calling the uprising “internal armed conflict,” the ICRC identifies the Syrian uprising as a civil war.  White House officials know the risks of intervening in a civil war where it’s difficult to tell the good guys from the bad guys.  Rushing to judgment, Western powers have singled out al-Assad as the bad guy, where it’s clear that Russia and China see things differently.  “What matters is the international humanitarian law applies wherever hostility between government forces and opposition groups are taking place across the country [Syria],” said Hassan, not certain which groups perpetrated the gruesome killings.  Violence in civilian areas of Homs, Idlib and Hama are all subjected to the Rules of War.  Isn’t it ironic that humanitarian groups warn Syrian combatants to follow the Geneva Convention when the Bush administration rejected all such rules fighting the war on terror.

            Urging Syria’s combatants to follow the Geneva convention is like telling terror groups, like al-Qaeda, to follow airport security:  It’s doubtful to expect compliance with lawless gangs.  “It means it is more like that indiscriminate attacks causing excessive civilian loss, injury or damage would be war crimes and could be prosecuted as such,” said Andrew Claphan, director of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights.  While it’s difficult to assess atrocities in Syrian war zones, Amnesty International confirmed that some rebels committed rights abuses along with government forces.  U.N. observers entered Syrian villages to assess rebel claims that the Syrian military massacred 220 civilians with helicopter gunships supplied by Russia.  Amnesty International verified what Russia, China and al-Assad have said that rebel forces  have committed war crimes.

            President Barack Obama has shown mature leadership not jumping on the election-year bandwagon led by McCain urging military intervention.  Supplying arms to Syrian rebels could backfire by supporting forces more hostile to the United States than the al-Assad government.  “The term ‘civil war’ which is used by some as a synonym for internal armed conflict or non-international armed conflict, has no legal meaning as such,” said Hassan.  ICRC uses three criteria of non-international armed conflict, including (a) intensity of fighting, (b) the duration of fighting and (c) the level of rebel organization, all point to the legal definition of civil war.  Unlike last year’s Libyan civil war that drove Muammar Gaddafi from Tripoli Aug. 24, 2011, Syrian rebels have not identified themselves with a unified command post or stated clear objectives in driving al-Assad from power.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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