Syrian unrest forgotten by media but still waged in country

By MONA OSMER

As of January 29th, Syria claimed to consider signing a document that will end the current conflict, which spanned over three years now.

This document, created during the 2012 United Nations meeting known as the Geneva Communiqué, calls the Syrian government to end the civil unrest, as well as addition to a transition the current governmental power. However, despite Syria’s claims, will these papers ever feel the ink of a pen seep into its dotted lines? I would argue that it will.

The call for a transition of power and a smooth installment of a ‘just’ leader is, in reality, theoretical; however, political parties are established that would give way to this aspect of the Communiqué. Is this another forced attempt of democratic practice?

The implication is that, “Syrian civilians must be enabled to independently and democratically determine their own future,” as written in the Final Communiqué.

This is, in fact, the consensus of the Syrian people, therefore backing the document. There appears no implication of forced democratic installment by the UN during the ratification of this document.

As it sounds, the UN is moving in the right direction, and the Syrian Government should follow suit. More than 100,000 people have fallen victim to this conflict, and 9.5 million have been driven from their homes. In addition to Syria’s accordance with the Communiqué, there is the current shipment of their chemical weapon stockpile to both the U.S. and Russia, an attempt to rid the country of its fire power.

Through our foreign lenses everything seems to be coming together.

However, it must be understood that the troubles will not end here. Even today, there was an instance of government offensive, in the form of public bombing. Termed the ‘Barrel Bombs,’ this attack occurred in known rebel housing districts.

There, at least five people were killed along with the destruction of a mosque, which was being used as a school.

There is no quick fix for such a civil dispute as that now raging in Syria.

However, if signed and upheld, the Communiqué, outlined by representatives of the UN, would prove to be very successful in solving much of Syria’s social issues and harsh civil conflicts.

The document calls for improvement in government structure, civil relations, human rights and the assurance of freedom for political figures incarcerated for rebelling against the state. “For the People, By the People;” that is the underlying principal of government, or at least it should be.

It is also a principal that Syrians are demanding; along with their rights to basic freedoms, such as free speech and voting (currently the electorate is the body of which votes are cast for presidential elections, therefore denying the public their right to cast votes). The right move of the Syrian government is to appease their civilians, thereby appeasing foreign actors, and moving toward a regime that follows democratic precedents as, again, outlined in documents drafted and ratified by the UN.