Russia’s Ukraine Misadventure and its Precursor in Syria.

Now that Russia’s so-called “Special Military Operation,” is in full force, with dire humanitarian consequences, one must wonder if this ghoulish adventure may have been prevented in the first place.

The Western world seems to be up in arms about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its media is choke full of sympathetic reports, and the clarion of action has sounded. Syrians wonder where this righteous indignation is coming from! Russia has been doing this for years in Syria, Georgia, Chechnya and in 2014 in Ukraine itself. The exact same has gone on in Syria for ten years, while the West turned a blind eye to its plight. Syria has been a testing ground, not just for Russia’s arms, but for the world’s willingness to tolerate the use of lethal arms on civilians. No one seemed to care. But now that a European Christian population is being dealt with in a similar manner, everyone’s calling for sanctions and pledging support.

When the Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad used chemical weapons on civilians, it crossed a red line that President Obama had drawn. According to the departed Senator from Arizona, John McCain, Obama went against his top advisor’s suggestions to punish Assad, and settled for a Russian brokered (some suspect to be Israeli inspired) deal that let Assad off the hook, and gave him the green light to continue his regime’s displacement and murder of his own people. This was later bolstered by Russian air power. Another consequence was to embolden of Russia’s support of the regime, and the toleration of its bombing of Syria’s opposition controlled areas. A bombing that targeted hospitals and make shift clinics, according to Lina Murad, a Syrian medical activist who has been helping Syrians for a decade.

Syrians opposed to Russian adventurism, and its actions in Ukraine, stand with the Ukrainian people in their right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Let the whole world know that letting a strong man like President Putin, get away with actions that are in contrast with our human values, have far reaching consequences. Could this disaster have been prevented? I suspect; yes. Had President Obama then, acted as President Biden is acting now, this fiasco may have been avoided. Not only would Syria have been saved, Ukraine may have been spared the destruction it is being subjected to. As a Syrian American I pledge solidarity with Ukrainian Americans and urge the US to stand up to Russia.

Sympathy must be universal to be effective, missed opportunities abound, and mistakes of the past must be corrected. The world has become a small place and we must all participate in its betterment.