As we get settled into our Fall semesters — finalizing class schedules, making new friends, figuring out the best ways to get involved on campus — schools across the world are shutting down due to political unrest and instability.
Bashar Al-Assad’s fight to keep the Syrian regime’s inevitable failure from occurring has intensified over the past few days. He has moved his forces up from tanks in the suburbs to missiles and maritime-based attacks.
At this point, not only is Syria’s future extremely shaky, but if this revolution fails, it will have extreme and dire consequences not only for Syria or its surrounding nations, but also for the global world as a whole.
In the case of Egypt, it was a mostly peaceful (non-bloody) revolution. It has baffled and amazed us because looking back at hundreds and thousands of years of history, we did not know such peace was possible — that a transition from one political regime to another or none at all could be so smooth and swift, sparing millions of lives in the process. Syria, however, is not as fortunate.
Although it is a beautiful country, upon my multiple visits to Syria, I couldn’t help but notice the uneasiness in the atmosphere. The charming people of Syria have been long forced to deal with a reign of leaders that have been undemocratic, to say the least.
Bashar Al-Assad was supposedly elected in 2000, after the death of his father and previous President of the Syrian Republic, Hafez Al-Assad, who was in power 29 long years. No democratic system, as Hosni Mubarak has proved, can rule for such a long period of time and meet the needs of its ever-changing population. This has culminated in protests and fights for civil rights which have been met by the most brute of force — attacks from police, the army, navy, etc. on civilians, not to mention the dozens of schools, hospitals and offices which have been transformed into torture facilities where the revolutionaries and protesters have been met with full force from Assad.
The people of Syria have faced years of being silenced, and the global community should endorse their stand for justice to the fullest. Western media, however, barely discusses what is going on over there, with little imagery and hardly any interviews with qualified professionals who are able to properly explain what is currently happening.
History has taught us people will fight with everything they have in order to gain freedom. All around the world, nations attempt to replicate the American Bill of Rights in efforts to create what our forefathers created for our nation. There is something to be said for that, which is freedom — above everything else — is supreme.
Although it is sad and unfortunate, it is human beings and lives in this case that become not so much casualties as they are necessities. Egypt’s case has been an anomaly, but it also offers an example of the potential we as human beings have for peace and union, rather than killing and savagery.
Standing by the Syrian people is the least we can do in order to free our world of inhumane oppression; our government and other world powers should make clear their intent to send aid in this revolution, beyond simply voicing concerns. At this point in time, Syria represents humanity. Its failure is not an option, and only through unity can its success be accomplished.
Dina Al-Hayek is a senior political science major and contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
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