Asfandiyar Qamar
(Yemeni Security Analyst and RIEAS Research Associate)
Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS) – www.rieas.gr – based in Athens, Greece – (Date of Publication: 9 February 2014)
At the time of the Arab Spring 2011 Syria appeared to be on a similar path to other Arab nations, where people were bravely rebelling against their tyrannical ruling elites while asking for more representative government. However, as the protests turned to a full rebellion in Syria, and Bashar Al-Assad’s military officers began defecting against him, it also came the swift and predictable condemnations for Assad from western humanitarian interventionists. Both former secretary of state Hilary Clinton and Britain’s foreign minister William Hague denounced Assad as no longer the legitimate leader of Syria and a war criminal. Assad responded by calling such condemnations as “provocative” and he turned out to be right. Within days of the denouncement more of Assad’s military defected to the Free Syrian Army, igniting a civil war. Next the Russians were to be the targets of western condemnation as Mrs. Clinton chastised them for not supporting the pro-democracy movement in Syria and continuing to provide weapons to Assad....... Read more
