December 4, 2012

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen issued a warning today to the government of Syria not to use chemical weapons against its own people: “If anybody resorts to these terrible weapons, then I would expect an immediate reaction from the international community,” he declared. His warning came on the heals of a similar declaration yesterday by U.S. President Barack Obama: “The world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable,” noted the president in a speech at the National Defense University. NATO foreign ministers, meeting today in Brussels, are expected to approve the deployment of Patriot antimissile batteries to Turkey, a move designed to defend Turkey’s border with Syria.

NATO foreign ministers are expected to approve a plan to station Patriot antimissile batteries in Turkey. (World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.)

Syrian government forces continue to bombard the southern suburbs of Damascus with artillery and airstrikes in an offensive designed to seal off the city and maintain control of the international airport. Rebels have gained control of strategic military bases and arsenals, giving them access to ground-to-air missiles that has forced the government to periodically shut down the airport. The head of the Arab League, Nabil al-Araby, has stated that he believes the government of Bashar al-Assad could fall at any time, and the United Nations announced today that it is withdrawing all nonessential staff from Syria.

Additional World Book articles:

• Arab Spring
• Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a Special Report)
• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)

Feb. 8, 2012

France, Italy, Germany, and Spain yesterday followed the lead of the United Kingdom and the United States in recalling their ambassadors from Syria.The six Gulf Cooperation Council states–Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirate–also announced that that they were withdrawing their envoys as well as expelling the Syrian ambassadors from their capitals. The United Nations (UN) estimates that at least 7,200 people have died in the government crackdown on the 11-month-old rebellion against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. His father, Hafez al-Assad, a member of the Baath Party and commander of the air force, took power in Syria in 1970. He ruled until his death in 2000. Bashar al-Assad succeeded him as president.

The United Kingdom and the United States recalled their ambassadors on February 6. Speaking in the House of Commons, British Foreign Secretary William Hague labeled Assad’s regime “murderous” and stated: “There is no way it [the Assad regime] can recover its credibility internationally or with its own people.” After the U.S. Department of State issued a statement announcing the closure of the U.S. embassy in Damascus, international affairs experts suggested that it sent a strong signal that the administration of President Barack Obama believed there is nothing left to discuss with Assad.

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continues to kill civilians opposed to his regime despite international condemnation. AP/Wide World

On February 4, Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution (a formal expression of opinion) calling for Assad to step down. All 13 other members of the council, including France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, voted for the resolution, which backed an Arab League plan to halt the violence. After the vote, Secretary Hague noted, “More than 2,000 people have died since Russia and China vetoed the last draft resolution in October 2011. How many more need to die before Russia and China allow the UN Security Council to act?” Government forces in Syria renewed the shelling of the city Homs, the epicenter of the 11-month-old rebellion, as the UN vote took place.

Additional World Book articles

• Diplomacy
• Foreign policy
• Lebanon

Nov. 28, 2011

The security forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have committed systematic “crimes against humanity” in their months-long crackdown on antigovernment protesters, the United Nations reported today in a study prepared by an independent panel. According the panel’s findings, civilians, including children, have been arrested arbitrarily, tortured, and murdered. In the latest violence, at least 23 people were killed across Syria during demonstrations yesterday.

In response to the violence used against its own people, the Arab League, by a vote of 19-to-3, imposed economic sanctions against the government of Syria. The sanctions freeze Syrian government assets held in league member states; cut off transactions with the Syrian central bank; halt funding by Arab governments for projects in Syria; ban senior Syrian officials from traveling to member states; and ban commercial flights between Syria and member states. While not a member of the Arab League, Turkey volunteered to act in accordance with the sanctions. According to United Nations estimates, as many as 3,500 people have died since the demonstrations began in March.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has come under severe international criticism for his government's continuing attacks on protesters demanding more political freedom. AP/Wide World

On November 14, Jordan’s King Abdullah II became the first Arab leader to openly call on Assad to leave office. In a BBC interview, Abdullah declared, “If Bashar [al-Assad] had an interest in his country he would step down.” The king went on to say that if he were in Assad’s position, he would make sure “whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo (the existing state of affairs).”

Additional World Book articles:

• Human rights
• International Court of Justice
• Middle East

Nov. 14, 2011

The Arab League on November 12 moved to suspend Syria on the grounds that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had defied an agreement with the League to stop the violent repression of pro-democracy demonstrators in that country. The Arab League is an organization of 22 Middle Eastern and African countries where Arabic is the main spoken language. The League threatened political and economic sanctions if Assad failed to comply. The agreement called for Assad’s government to halt the violence directed toward civilians, to withdraw all its security forces from civilian areas, and to release political prisoners, which are believed to number in the tens of thousands. An estimated 3,800 people have been killed in Syria since mid-March, when Assad’s forces began a violent crackdown on antigovernment protesters.

King Abdullah II     AP Photo

On November 14, Jordan’s King Abdullah II became the first Arab leader to openly call on Assad to leave office. In a BBC interview, Abdullah declared, “If Bashar [al-Assad] had an interest in his country he would step down.” The king went on to say that if he were in Assad’s position, he would make sure “whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo (the existing state of affairs).”

Additional World Book articles:

• Middle East