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Feasibility of Intervention in Syria Essay examples

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In recent news, Syrians have been seeking to overthrow their authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad. As a result, a civil war has killed over an estimated 120,000 Syrians and has also left many displaced. In the meanwhile, international efforts have been complicated and passive. In the United States, pressure is building in congress on whether or not to intervene. Though intervention has proved successful in Libya, which faced a similar civil war, it is unsure if such an attack would be practical in Syria. The US, widely known for its humanitarian outreach, is under question on whether or not they have a moral imperative to step in, while also considering its possible negative outcomes for itself and the international community as a whole. …show more content…

Another obstacle besides Syria’s allies is its use of chemical weapons. Allegations of the use of chemical warfare in Syria, a serious offense in international law, have heightened international tension (Yan, et.al). In contrast to the disorder happening in Syria, Libya’s civil war came to an end quite quickly. Libya was much easier to intervene not only because Gaddafi’s army was weak, but also because the instability of Libya directly threated the national security of Europe. From the perspective of the United States, it was also seen as beneficial due to Libya’s large resource of oil, which is not as prominent in Syria. With Syria’s powerful army that would be difficult to take down and its allies on the U.N. Security Council, invasion would destabilize surrounding countries. It is also argued that the situation in Syria is more complicated and dangerous than that of Libya in 2011(Estep). The civil war in Syria has proven to be much more destructive, with more lives lost and an enormous amount of refugees flooding surrounding countries. Support that the West can provide would not be effective in preventing civilian deaths, as the war zone would be taking place in densely populated cities. With given conditions, military intervention in Syria has little prospect of success and high risk of disastrous failure (Smith). With the assumption that Assad is undoubtedly using chemical weapons against his own people even when he had the upper hand in the war

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