While many were caught-up in Miley Cyrus’s raunchy and rather embarrassing twerking fiasco at the MTV Video Music Awards last Sunday and the cultural appropriation behind her performance, a bigger issue should have been on the forefront of society’s agenda; such as the possibility of a World War III brewing among the world powers that be.
Last week, speculations and rumors of war were spreading like wildfire as numerous accusations of democide were thwarted against Syria and its leader, Bashar al-Assad.
On Wednesday, August 24th, Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization, accused Assad and his regime of using chemical warfare against their own people—allegedly killing 355 people in Syria’s capital, Damascus. Since then, other figures have been rolling in from the U.S. government and the Syrian National Coalition, claiming that the death toll is well over 1,400. Within this estimate, the United States claims that 426 children died from the chemical warfare.
Though Assad claims these allegations to be false and the rebels are to blame, the United States and the United Kingdom are geared to intervene and take military action against Syria; in which Assad has been quoted in saying that Syria, “will [defend] itself against any aggression.”
This situation outweighs Miley’s wack twerking any day.
With Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron losing Commons vote to intervene in the conflict and President Barack Obama awaiting Congressional authority to yay or nay an attack, the world can hold its breath–but ever so slightly.
Though many people’s opinions are polarized, (including mine), some find this issue all too reminiscent of the “Weapons of Mass Destruction” phase of the Bush Jr. administration. And what price did the nation pay for that war? Economic stress, senseless deaths and political aggravation.
And note, the weaponry has still not been found.
Without substantial and complete knowledge of the truth and a thorough investigation, many believe it is in our best interest to not move forward unless the facts are in order.
Although, Secretary of State John Kerry claims that the United States has firm evidence that sarin gas was used in the chemical attack, the United States must also recognize the cost of its actions before interceding.
The government cannot rely solely on military intervention to fully alleviate and diminish the true essence of the underlying strife in Syria. It will take more than removing Assad to alleviate the social, economic, political tension and corruption. Just as in times past (i.e. Afghanistan and Iraq), once there is an intervention, the United States will have custody on how to solve and resolve both the external and internal issues within Syria—which may take the same length, if not more, than the war in Iraq.
And that is a liability that I am not sure that we are ready for.
But on the other hand, if the claims and the accusations are true, how would the United States be perceived by its own civilians and others internationally, if no intervention was made? The delay in American intermediation has already caused many, domestically and internationally, to look at the Obama administration with disdain for not immediately aiding those suffering under the Assad establishment.
Elizabeth Palmer, a reporter for CBS News, quoted the spokesperson for the Syrian Military Council, an opposition group in Syria, who said this:
“We no longer account on America or any other country. We only count on ourselves and on our rebels. We now realize that the whole world is mocking us—mocking our feelings and mocking our blood.”
The United States is definitely stuck in a rock and a hard place.
But while we are there, somewhere in America, Miley is twerking…
Twerk Miley, Miley, twerk.
Sources:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/wide-range-death-tolls-alleged-syria-gassing-20126838
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