Syrian-Canadians and Protest Risk
While the United Nations' Ban Ki-moon calls on world powers to act "in the name of humanity", to somehow turn the tide of government atrocities against its own citizens in Syria, Iran and Russia, along with China, glower with hostility at the potential of any kind of intervention. Turkey's decision to ally itself with the Arab League's move to isolate Syria, a one-time ally, is a matter seen to be 'all-in-the-family'.
The possibility of anything resembling a Western-inspired intervention reflecting what had occurred in Libya when a "no-fly" zone was imposed by NATO at the behest of the United Nations and the concurrence of the Arab League, is remote. Any attempt to mount a response resembling Libya's campaign to free itself of its dictator by the West assisting the Syrian protesters is certain to bring belligerent moves from Russia.
"In the name of humanity, it is time for the international community to act", pleads Ban Ki-moon. But the international community is not prepared to act as one. Sides have been taken. Syria has been a long-time client state of Russia, and China too sees no need for intervention in a matter that is strictly internal, as far as it is concerned. The UN Security Council is therefore split on the matter so authorization from the UN to intervene is absent.
China is now facing its own mini-insurrection in a geographically insignificant little town; it brooks no internal dissension, nor external interference and would never countenance imposing it elsewhere, fearing a precedent-setting example coming back to haunt it based on its own record of abuse. As for Russia, with its Presidential-aspiring Prime Minister now facing a growing tumult of rejection; look, but don't touch.
Canada has 22,000 citizens of Syrian descent. Many of whom are not the least bit pro-regime, and whose concerns are the welfare of their country of birth and its citizens. It concerns them hugely that Syrians' human rights are being violated and abused by the country's military under the direction of its President, Bashar al-Assad, who piously insists only a madman would brutalize his own.
Yet Canadian Syrians have become loathe to make their protests against the regime too conspicuous because nothing occurs now in isolation on the international scene, and criticisms of the regime become well known to the intelligence arm of that same regime which can and does wreak vengeance on relatives living in Syria of those in Canada who mount information campaigns against the regime.
"Intelligence came with machine guns and pistols and interrogated them about my activities in Canada", explained one Syrian Canadian, a professor at Concordia University. His name having been mentioned as a critic of the Syrian government, took the notice of Syrian intelligence. Similar experiences have occurred to other Syrian Canadians who organized protests in Canada, and whose relatives in Syria were visited and threatened as a result.
And, just like President al-Assad, interviewed by Barbara Walters recently on U.S. television strenuously denying that he was the least bit responsible for ordering brutal assaults on Syrian protesters, the head of mission of the Syrian Embassy in Ottawa denies that either the embassy or Syrian intelligence is haunting and threatening Canadian Syrian protesters.
According to Bashar Akbik, Syrian Ambassador to Canada, the protesters are harassing the Syrian diplomats: "The protesters every day were filming the embassy under the eyes of the police."
The possibility of anything resembling a Western-inspired intervention reflecting what had occurred in Libya when a "no-fly" zone was imposed by NATO at the behest of the United Nations and the concurrence of the Arab League, is remote. Any attempt to mount a response resembling Libya's campaign to free itself of its dictator by the West assisting the Syrian protesters is certain to bring belligerent moves from Russia.
"In the name of humanity, it is time for the international community to act", pleads Ban Ki-moon. But the international community is not prepared to act as one. Sides have been taken. Syria has been a long-time client state of Russia, and China too sees no need for intervention in a matter that is strictly internal, as far as it is concerned. The UN Security Council is therefore split on the matter so authorization from the UN to intervene is absent.
China is now facing its own mini-insurrection in a geographically insignificant little town; it brooks no internal dissension, nor external interference and would never countenance imposing it elsewhere, fearing a precedent-setting example coming back to haunt it based on its own record of abuse. As for Russia, with its Presidential-aspiring Prime Minister now facing a growing tumult of rejection; look, but don't touch.
Canada has 22,000 citizens of Syrian descent. Many of whom are not the least bit pro-regime, and whose concerns are the welfare of their country of birth and its citizens. It concerns them hugely that Syrians' human rights are being violated and abused by the country's military under the direction of its President, Bashar al-Assad, who piously insists only a madman would brutalize his own.
Yet Canadian Syrians have become loathe to make their protests against the regime too conspicuous because nothing occurs now in isolation on the international scene, and criticisms of the regime become well known to the intelligence arm of that same regime which can and does wreak vengeance on relatives living in Syria of those in Canada who mount information campaigns against the regime.
"Intelligence came with machine guns and pistols and interrogated them about my activities in Canada", explained one Syrian Canadian, a professor at Concordia University. His name having been mentioned as a critic of the Syrian government, took the notice of Syrian intelligence. Similar experiences have occurred to other Syrian Canadians who organized protests in Canada, and whose relatives in Syria were visited and threatened as a result.
And, just like President al-Assad, interviewed by Barbara Walters recently on U.S. television strenuously denying that he was the least bit responsible for ordering brutal assaults on Syrian protesters, the head of mission of the Syrian Embassy in Ottawa denies that either the embassy or Syrian intelligence is haunting and threatening Canadian Syrian protesters.
According to Bashar Akbik, Syrian Ambassador to Canada, the protesters are harassing the Syrian diplomats: "The protesters every day were filming the embassy under the eyes of the police."
Labels: Canada, Conflict, Crisis Politics, Culture, Security, Syria
posted by Pieface | 6:46 PM
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