Sae Okubo
Aline Sekiguchi
Satoko Takahara
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Background
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General timeline of the conflict
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UN Resolutions and actions taken by the
international community
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R2P Criteria
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Syria Now
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Son of Hafez al-Assad
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Took over presidency
in June of 2000
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Belongs to the minority
Alawite sect of the
population
en.wikipedia.org
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Division within the Syrian population:
◦ 65% Sunni Arabs
◦ 12% Alawis(Alawite)
◦ 10% Christians
◦ 9% Kurds
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Issue of having a secular government
http://eastchapelhillobserver.com
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March: The protests begin
May: Government’s military crackdown by the
army ➝ Shabiha
July: Free Syrian Army (FSA) formed by this point
◦ Government focuses on protests in Hama
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August: Western leaders explicitly call for Assad
to step down
November: the Arab League suspends Syria’s
membership
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April: UN brokers ceasefire, sends monitors
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June: UN suspends its mission in Syria
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August: UN accuses the Syrian government of war crimes
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September: Rebels accused of crimes against humanity
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December: The US also formally recognizes Syria’s
opposition National Coalition as the legitimate
representative of the Syrian people
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January: 65 bodies found in
Aleppo, shot execution style
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April: Syria accused of using
chemical weapons
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May: EU lifts the arms
embargo
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www.un.org
June: US officials announce
that Assad used chemical
weapons
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August: Syrian government accused of using
chemical weapons
◦ UN inspectors go to Damascus
◦ Obama considers a limited military strike against
Syria
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September
◦ Russia proposes for Syria to give up its chemical
arms
◦ UN finds ‘convincing evidence’ of chemical attack
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The international community has had a
difficult time deciding what actions to take
because of the complexity of the situation
➝ Al-Qaeda linked groups aligning with
the opposition etc.
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Possibility of ethnic cleansing after the war
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Escalating sectarian violence
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1st phase: Criticism and Economic sanction
2011. 4~
U.S. & EU → asset freeze & prohibition on entry
further pressure by EU ← & Turkey & LAS
BAN on oil embargo & trading halts
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Resulted in afflicting local people rather than
exhausting the regime
1st draft resolution condemning Syria was rejected
by the veto of Russia and China
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2nd phase: League of Arab States (LAS) Response
2011. 11
decided to suspend Syria and impose sanctions
2011. 12
Syria agreed to LAS initiative to allow observers
2012. 1
LAS suspended its mission due to worsening
violence in Syria
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3rd phase: UN Security Council Resolutions
2012. 2 draft resolution
urged Syria to accept non-binding peace plan
→fell short of formal resolution
2012. 4 #2042, #2043
→Deployment of 30 military observers to Syria
→Deployment of UNSMIS (300 civil observers)
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2012. 6 Geneva 1
laid out a peace plan for Syria
together with LAS and UN members
→called for a Syrian-led political transition
2012. 7 #2059
→extended UNSMIS for a final period of 30 days
2012. 8
→UN General assembly demanded Assad resign
Obama warned use of chemical weapons is the
‘redline’
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2012. 12
Syria's opposition National Coalition was
recognized as the legitimate representative of
Syrian people
2013. 8
UN weapons inspectors concluded the use of
chemical weapons in August
but did not allocate the responsibility of the attack
2013. 9 #2118
→Required scheduled destruction of Syria’s
chemical weapons
March 2011 to September 2013
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There was no real intervention.
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Is it a real Responsibility to Protect situation?
Irwin Cotler (Canadian Deputy and Human
Rights supporter) :
“if mass atrocities in Syria are not a case for
R2P, there is no R2P”
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The international community (United Nations)
and Regional organizations (Arab League) are
taking care of it.
More chance for the intention to be
humanitarian.
The international community has not violated
any resolutions SO FAR.
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Intervention in Syria is clearly a necessity.
Crimes against humanity. Ethnic cleansing.
Violence against civilians.
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Perfect violation of Human Rights from both
sides.
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Various international actors involved.
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Reaction should have been quicker.
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Public against it.
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One side : International Community.
Other side: a country which has hidden
chemical weapons. Difficult to determine its
military capacity.
If an intervention is decided
means?
Not enough
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Influence of past interventions (Iraq).
Not enough means to be able to intervene
efficiently.
Lack of motivation.
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Still trying to solve the problem without the
use of force.
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Inefficient sanctions.
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Intervention necessary?
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Public not feeling concerned.
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Nations not willing to help.
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Influence of former failures.
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Russia and China’s continued vetoes.
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120,000 deaths since the beginning of the
war (according to the Syria Observatory for
Human Rights). More than a third of them are
civilians.
9 million refugees.
The United Nation Security Council has
started to focus on the humanitarian crisis.
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November 25th, 2013: UN Secretary General
announced a Peace Conference to solve
Syria’s situation on January 22nd, 2014.
Postponed by Russia to July 2014.
The Secretary General expects the
participants to come to Geneva to end the
conflict via Political Solutions.
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Bashar al-Assad will not participate.
Sees this conference only as a fight against
terrorism.
Opposition’s Position

Expects this conference to lead to the
demission of Bashar al-Assad.
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Iran, an ally of the Syrian government, may
participate too.
Saudi Arabia, an ally of the opposition, may
participate too.
Salim Idriss (General of the Free Syrian Army )
announced that he will not stop the fighting
for this conference.
His main concern is to provide equipment for
his soldiers.
Destruction of 1000 tons of chemical
weapons in the sea announced on September
30th, 2013
 The Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed that the
Syrian government submitted the initial
formal declaration of its chemical weapons
program on October 24th .
Permitted the establishment of a
destruction plan of the weapons and the
installations of production and assembly.
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The UN’s Human Rights chief announced that
Syrian War crimes implicating Bashar alAssad were found.
According to an article published in early
December 2013, it was the first time that the
Syrian dictator was directly accused of
committing these crimes.
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http://icrtopblog.org/2011/10/07/un-securitycouncil-fails-to-uphold-its-responsibility-toprotect-in-syria/
http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/index.ph
p/crises/crisis-in-syria
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east14703995
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east24628442
http://www.lemonde.fr/procheorient/article/2013/11/26/la-conferencegeneve-2-se-fera-sans-bachar-alassad_3520605_3218.html
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http://www.lemonde.fr/procheorient/article/2013/06/05/syrie-la-conferencede-geneve-2-officiellementrepoussee_3424678_3218.html
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/09/
03/jonathan-kay-r2p-is-no-basis-forbombing-syria/
http://nsnbc.me/2013/10/06/new-push-syriaintervention-responsibility-protect/
http://dspace.cigilibrary.org/jspui/handle/1234
56789/32656
http://syriahr.com/en/index.php?option=com_n
ews&Itemid=2&nt=1
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http://www.franceinfo.fr/monde/syrie-al-qaidaexpulse-les-rebelles-d-une-ville-strategique1148929-2013-09-20
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east14703995
http://www.news.com.au/world/simple-pointsto-help-you-understand-the-syriaconflict/story-fndir2ev-1226705155146
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/31/3598
729/understanding-the-roots-of-the.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/16/world/mi
ddleeast/syria.html?_r=0
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http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/pub
lications/briefing_papers_and_reports/stolen
_futures
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/wo
rld/timeline-unrest-in-syria/207/