Enforcing Safe Zones in Syria

CAP Critical Thinking Paper

Isaac A. Newman
Green Group
 Critical Thinking Paper - Rough Draft

Since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, the lives of Syrian civilians are

incessantly put in jeopardy. The conflict began with a deadly, government response to peaceful,

anti-government protest in the Syrian city, Deraa. Ever since, Syrians are plagued by the need to

figure out a way to survive the next inevitable, government bombardment. According to Ahmad

al Ahmad, a Syrian civilian, the life in Syria is “worse than death” (Doucet). The people of Syria

are in dire need of zones where they know their lives will not be at risk. Due to the inhumane and

illegal treatment of Syrian civilians, the possibility of providing Syrians with a safe place to live

inside their own country, and the unwillingness of Syria’s President, Bashar al-Assad, to

negotiate productively, the United States military must establish and enforce safe zones

throughout Syria.

The Syrian government’s treatment of its civilians is undeniably oppressive. According to

the Syrian Center for Policy Research, an independent Syrian research organization, “the death

toll from the conflict as of February 2016 was 470,000,” and according to the UN Office for the

Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “the spread and intensification of fighting has led to a dire

humanitarian crisis, with 6.1 million internally displaced people and 4.8 million seeking refuge

abroad” (World Report 2017). The Syrian government, with Russia’s help, is targeting homes,

medical facilities, markets, and schools; in one instance, the Syrian-Russian coalition

orchestrated a major airstrike that hit al-Quds Hospital and surrounding areas on April 27, 2016,

killing 58 civilians and patients” (World Report 2017). The government’s treatment of its

civilians is also in violation of the Chemical Weapon Convention; according to Human Rights

Watch, “Syrian government helicopters dropped barrel bombs with toxic chemicals on
residential neighborhoods in opposition-controlled parts of Aleppo city on August 10 and

September 6” (World Report 2017). Sadly, this is not the only international law that the Assad

regime has violated. Assad has carried out collective punishment by bombing Syrian civilians

and armed groups alike which was prohibited in the Hague Regulations of the Third and Fourth

Geneva conventions (Rule 103, Collective Punishments). According to the United Nations, the

Syrian government has also tortured, executed, and kidnapped civilians-including children,

arbitrarily arrested civilians on a massive scale, committed sexual violence against civilians, used

captives as human shields, and have deployed children as soldiers (Piccone).

Safe zones are areas within a region where fighting is prohibited. It is also forbidden for

any air force to fly over a safe zone. With safe zones enforced by the United States military

throughout Syria, civilians could be safe inside their own country and not have to seek refuge

elsewhere. “Syria is the world’s largest producer of refugees,” producing six million worldwide

(Byman). The Syrian refugee crisis has affected countries all over the world. Syrian refugees are

currently scattered among at least thirty countries around the world (Holger). Something must be

done about this widespread issue. The United States cannot stand by as the Syrian refugee crisis

continues to grow. Fleeing one’s country is never an ideal solution. Tearing oneself away from

one’s culture and native language is traumatic, rendering families divided and homeless as they

struggle to settle in unfamiliar communities (“Quick Facts: What You Need to Know about the

Syria Crisis.”). Unfortunately, this is the only solution currently available for millions of Syrian

civilians. If however, the United States military were to enforce safe zones throughout Syria,

millions of civilian families will be able to remain intact and live safely inside their own country.
 Those devastated by the outcomes of America’s past military interventions, including the

wars in Vietnam and Iraq, would argue against any kind of United States military intervention in

Syria. Many of them believe that negotiations with Assad and the Syrian government are the best

route to resolving this crisis. Negotiations appear to be the best course of action in Syria as they

are the least violent; however, with Assad, negotiations are practically ineffectual. Throughout

the seven years this war has raged on, Assad has not been willing to negotiate productively.

Assad insists that “the rebel groups must lay down their arms before he will consider sitting for

any possible negotiation” (Heller). Unfortunately, this seems unlikely as it would leave the rebels

more vulnerable than they already are. Recently, the Syrian government has “signaled an attempt

to appeal to Western opinion and demonstrate its openness” (Heller). Out of the blue, Assad

claims that he is “ready to negotiate about everything” (Moore). Ever since Assad has made this

claim, “dialogue between Syria and the West, suddenly, is a live possibility. Whether it will be

productive is another question entirely” (Heller). On February 24, 2018, the United Nations

voted unanimously to approve “a 30-day ceasefire resolution in Syria after a relentless

bombardment of the country's eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus that has left hundreds

dead” (Stracqualursi). Despite the ceasefire, airstrikes and bombardments continue throughout

the country (“Syria War: UN Security Council…”). Even if negotiations take place, there is no

reason to expect any change on the part of the Syrian government.

The United States military must intervene in Syria and enforce safe zones along the

countries northern and southern borders. According to David L. Phillips, the director of the

program on peace-building and rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human

Rights, “Safe zones are viable in Syria’s south, along its border with Jordan, and in the north on
Syria’s border with Turkey” (Phillips). Phillips says that the safe zones will “help mitigate the

humanitarian crisis, serving as a sanctuary for displaced Syrians” (Phillips). According to

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a chemical weapons expert and chief operating officer of SecureBio

Limited, safe zones in Syria “could be key to reconstructing that devastated land and getting

meaningful amounts of aid in quickly” (Bretton-Gordon). Enforcing safe zones in Syria would

allow Syrian families to remain intact and will give Syrian civilians a safe place to live inside

their own country.

Due to the inhumane and illegal treatment of Syrian civilians, the possibility of providing

Syrians with a safe place to live inside their own country, and the unwillingness of Syria’s

President, Bashar al-Assad, to negotiate productively, the United States military must establish

and enforce safe zones throughout Syria. The United States cannot stand by as the Syrian

government violates countless international laws and human rights, making the lives of millions

of Syrian civilians “worse than death” (Doucet). Millions of Syrians are torn from their families

and scattered among at least thirty countries around the world. With safe zones, those Syrians

will be able to live safely inside their own country. While negotiations may appear to be the best

course of action in Syria, with Assad, they are practically ineffectual. The United States military

must intervene and make Syria a safer place to live for the millions of people who call it their

home.
 Works Cited

Bretton-Gordon, Hamish de. “Syria's Safe Zones Offer a Glimmer of Hope for a Once-Great Nation | Hamish De
Bretton-Gordon.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 27 Jan. 2017,
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/27/syria-safe-zones-refugees-turkey-russia-un

Byman, Daniel, and Sloane Speakman. “The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Bad and Worse Options.”The Washington
Quarterly, vol. 39, no. 2, 2016, pp. 45–60., doi:10.1080/0163660x.2016.1204352

Doucet, Lyse. “Syria's Civilians Living a 'Life Worse than Death'.” BBC News, BBC, 7 Dec. 2015,
www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35024918

Heller, Sam. “Assad Will Talk, But He Won't Negotiate.” Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy, 22 Nov. 2016,
foreignpolicy.com/2016/11/22/assad-will-talk-but-he-wont-negotiate/

Holger, Dieter. “29 Countries Accepting Refugees From Syria And The Mideast.” The Inquisitr, The Inquisitr, 6
Sept. 2015, ​www.inquisitr.com/2396458/29-countries-accepting-syrian-refugees/

“International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Violations in Syria.” ReliefWeb,

reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/international-humanitarian-law-and-human-rights-violations-syria

Moore, Jack. “Syria's Assad Says He Is Ready to Negotiate ‘Everything’ in New Peace Talks.” Newsweek, 14 Jan.
2017, ​www.newsweek.com/bashar-al-assad-says-he-ready-negotiate-everything-new-peace-talks-540311

Phillips, David L. “Safe Zones in Syria.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Jan. 2017,
www.huffingtonpost.com/david-l-phillips/safe-zones-in-syria_b_14439356.html

Piccone, Ted. “Syria, Human Rights and the United Nations.” Brookings, Brookings, 28 July 2016,
www.brook​ings.edu/opinions/syria-human-rights-and-the-united-nations/

“Quick Facts: What You Need to Know about the Syria Crisis.” Mercy Corps, 12 Mar. 2018,
www.mercycorps.org/articles/iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria-turkey/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis

“Rule 103. Collective Punishments.” Customary IHL - Rule 103. Collective Punishments,
ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule103#Fn_2751A977_00005

Stracqualursi, Veronica. “UN Security Council Approves Syria Ceasefire.” CNN, Cable News Network, 24 Feb.
2018, ​www.cnn.com/2018/02/24/politics/un-security-council-syria-ceasefire-vote/index.html

“Syria War: UN Security Council Approves 30-Day Ceasefire.” BBC News, BBC, 25 Feb. 2018,
www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43183903

“Why Is There a War in Syria?” BBC News, BBC, 15 Mar. 2018,

www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35806229.

“World Report 2017: Rights Trends in Syria.” Human Rights Watch, 9 Jan. 2018,
www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/syria​.5.html
 Annotated Bibliography
Bretton-Gordon, Hamish de. “Syria's Safe Zones Offer a Glimmer of Hope for a Once-Great Nation | Hamish De
Bretton-Gordon.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 27 Jan. 2017,
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/27/syria-safe-zones-refugees-turkey-russia-un

In this article, Bretton-Gordon speaks of the crisis in Syria and explains the “glimmer of hope” which safe
zones offer. This is a secondary source which helped me with background information for my safe-zones paragraph.

Byman, Daniel, and Sloane Speakman. “The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Bad and Worse Options.”The Washington
Quarterly, vol. 39, no. 2, 2016, pp. 45–60., doi:10.1080/0163660x.2016.1204352

This Journal Article provides statistics for the Syrian Refugee Crisis. This primary source helped me give
the reader exact statistics regarding the number of Syrian refugees.

Doucet, Lyse. “Syria's Civilians Living a 'Life Worse than Death'.” BBC News, BBC, 7 Dec. 2015,
www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35024918

This article describes the horrific conditions of civilians living in Syria. This secondary source helped me
to give the reader an idea of how terrible the conditions are for Syrian civilians

Heller, Sam. “Assad Will Talk, But He Won't Negotiate.” Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy, 22 Nov. 2016,
foreignpolicy.com/2016/11/22/assad-will-talk-but-he-wont-negotiate/

This article explains why negotiations with Assad will not be productive. This secondary source helped me
explain why negotiations would not be a viable solution to the issue.

Holger, Dieter. “29 Countries Accepting Refugees From Syria And The Mideast.” The Inquisitr, The Inquisitr, 6
Sept. 2015, ​www.inquisitr.com/2396458/29-countries-accepting-syrian-refugees/

This article talks about the different countries who are accepting Syrian refugees. This secondary source
enabled me to tell the reader how many countries were accepting refugees from syria

“International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Violations in Syria.” ReliefWeb,

reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/international-humanitarian-law-and-human-rights-violations-syria

This is a report of International Law violations in Syria. This primary source helped me explain how Assad
was violating international law.

Moore, Jack. “Syria's Assad Says He Is Ready to Negotiate ‘Everything’ in New Peace Talks.” Newsweek, 14 Jan.
2017, ​www.newsweek.com/bashar-al-assad-says-he-ready-negotiate-everything-new-peace-talks-540311

This article reports on Assad’s sudden readiness to “negotiate on everything.” This secondary source gave
me more background to Assad’s negotiation situation.
Phillips, David L. “Safe Zones in Syria.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Jan. 2017,
www.huffingtonpost.com/david-l-phillips/safe-zones-in-syria_b_14439356.html

This article gives pros and cons of safe zones in Syria. This secondary source helped me with my safe zones
paragraph.

Piccone, Ted. “Syria, Human Rights and the United Nations.” Brookings, Brookings, 28 July 2016,
www.brook​ings.edu/opinions/syria-human-rights-and-the-united-nations​/

This article talks about the mistreatment of civilians in Syria. This secondary source gave me more
background as to how civilians were being mistreated.

“Quick Facts: What You Need to Know about the Syria Crisis.” Mercy Corps, 12 Mar. 2018,
www.mercycorps.org/articles/iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria-turkey/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis

This secondary source article gives basic information on the crisis in Syria.

“Rule 103. Collective Punishments.” Customary IHL - Rule 103. Collective Punishments,
ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule103#Fn_2751A977_00005

Rule 103 of the international law database. It states that collective punishments are internationally illegal.
This primary source helped me explain to the reader that Assad was violating international law.

Samaan, Maher, and Anne Barnard. “For Those Who Remain in Syria, Daily Life Is a Nightmare.” The New York
Times, The New York Times, 15 Sept. 2015,
www.nytimes.com/2015/09/16/world/middleeast/for-those-who-remain-in-syria-daily-life-is-a-nightmare.html

This article describes the horrific conditions of civilians living in Syria. a. This secondary source helped me
to give the reader an idea of how terrible the conditions are for Syrian civilians.

Stracqualursi, Veronica. “UN Security Council Approves Syria Ceasefire.” CNN, Cable News Network, 24 Feb.
2018, ​www.cnn.com/2018/02/24/politics/un-security-council-syria-ceasefire-vote/index.html

This secondary source article gives information on the thirty day ceasefire in Syria.

“Syria War: UN Security Council Approves 30-Day Ceasefire.” BBC News, BBC, 25 Feb. 2018,
www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43183903

This secondary source article gives more information on the thirty day ceasefire in Syria.

“Syrian Civil War Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 6 Mar. 2018,
www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/world/meast/syria-civil-war-fast-facts/index.html

This secondary source provides a helpful timeline of events in the Syrian civil war.

“Takeaway from Assad's Speech? There Will Be No Meaningful Dialogue.” The Christian Science Monitor, The
Christian Science Monitor, 6 Jan. 2013,
www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/Backchannels/2013/0106/Takeaway-from-Assad-s-speech-There-will-b
e-no-meaningful-dialogue
 This secondary source article gives an overview of Assad’s speech and explains why negotiations will not
be meaningful or productive.

Westcott, Lucy. “What the ‘Syrian Malala," Muzoon Almellehan, Wants You to Know About Refugees.”
POPSUGAR News, 1 Oct. 2017,
www.popsugar.com/news/Interview-Syrian-Refugee-Muzoon-Almellehan-44058925

This primary source is an interview of a Syrian explaining the refugee crisis. The primary source gave me
some background information regarding the refugee crisis.

“World Report 2017: Rights Trends in Syria.” Human Rights Watch, 9 Jan. 2018,
www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/syria​.5.html

This secondary source gives information about the mistreatment of civilians in Syria and the rights being
violated. I cited it numerous times in the first paragraph.