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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

aibu to wonder why we are doing nothing about syria

279 replies

ThatVikRinA22 · 30/08/2013 23:27

why are we doing nothing?
labour clearly sitting on the fence because of iraq as are the rest of the jittery gvt....

ive heard all the "its not our busniness" arguments - the same was said in WW2 until it was too late.

i cannot comprehend why we would advocate doing nothing - rwanda all over again.
m sickened tbh that people feel so able to wash their hands when people - children - are being napalmed and gassed.

what about what is morally right? forget politics - are we really just going to do nothing??
because its not us?

im not advocating another iraq war - but surely we cannot stand on the sidelines and watch this without doing anything?

OP posts:
nenevomito · 31/08/2013 01:22

Around 100,000 people had died in Syria before the attacks. Go and look on the Save the Children website about the torture and the bombings and the needless deaths of thousands of civilians and children before the chemical gas attacks. Why were we not outraged before? Why were all of those deaths OK?

So what do we do. Bomb places? If we do that we are likely to kill even more civilians. Topple the regime? And replace with who? The various rebel groups don't all agree with each other, there's no succession and intervention is likely to create even more jihadists ready to kill due to 'western' intervention.

This is a 'Damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation.

When you ask "Why aren't we doing something". You need to stop and ask "what the fuck can we do that won't make this worse".

If you come up with the answer to that question then let the international community know as they haven't a fucking clue what they can do that won't make it worse, as at the moment there isn't anything.

givemeaboost · 31/08/2013 01:22

Isnt that obvious? the dictatorship would have moved their families out and well away from Damascus before the attack

OldMacEIEIO · 31/08/2013 01:23

give me a boost
I dont know. I dont know where the pictures were taken, or when.

If they are genuine, and if chemical weapons were used, then I will change my opinion. I can not say fairer than that, can I.

glampinggaloshes · 31/08/2013 01:25

Oldmac, i think you are probably correct on your first point. We were all lied to re IRAQ but I dont think the mistakes of our past should pollute our future decisions. I dont want to be a fool either.

Assad has lost control of his army, there are multiple factions and his at the very least is as lawless as the others. any intervention proposed has always been directed to be CW focused. not side focused. in reality, maybe this is hard/impossible to achieve. but i still argue that our societies are built on societal conventions, namely that you dont direct your military efforts at your most vulnerable (in this situation by using UN banned CW). And that that is a code that society needs to agree must prevail.

AgentZigzag · 31/08/2013 01:26

"Around 100,000 people had died in Syria before the attacks...Why were we not outraged before? Why were all of those deaths OK?"

Because it's being brought to our attention by the media now.

Which is being manipulated by the Illuminati used as an effective mouthpiece by America those who benefit most from getting involved.

cantspel · 31/08/2013 01:28

You could ask yourself why would Assad use chemical weapons now when he has the upper hand in the civil war with the knowledge that chemical attacks could well bring intervention by the US?

Both sides has chemical weapons and no one is going to be able to say with 100% accuracy who is responsible for each attack.

givemeaboost · 31/08/2013 01:28

why cant they do what there were talks of- remotely targeting their airbases?

baby those deaths weren't ok, but presumely guns, CW is HUGE and has far reaching conseqeunces, hence the panic/outrage

OldMacEIEIO · 31/08/2013 01:29

Assad has not lost control of the army. he has close family members in charge of the armoured divisions and the Republican guard.
why do you say he has lost control ??

nenevomito · 31/08/2013 01:31

"Because its being brought to our attention by the media now"

Have you been living under a rock for the last 12 months? Syria has regularly been in the news as a standing item, even on the BBC in all of that time. There's been special reports, Newsnight items, in-depth reports on Sky - all mainstream media - as well as lots of less mainstream channels as well.

The only thing new is the chemical weapons. Reporting about war and the deaths of civilians and attacks and atrocities in Aleppo, for example have been ongoing for ages.

Why were chemical weapons the final straw when the bombing and executions that have been going on all the time haven't? Its not that they've been reported, its just that folk haven't given that much of a shit.

nenevomito · 31/08/2013 01:33

cantspell - its unlikely the rebel groups have the technology to get the chemical agents into a reliable weapon format that could do that amount of damage. This is why they are sure it was the government forces.

Monty27 · 31/08/2013 01:34

It would exacerbate world confict if they go in.

Do you want your dc's if you have any over there fighting in that war, or would you yourself? No, and I don't want me or mine or anyone else's.

We are talking 'the big guns'. There's so much conflict within that area they can't even work out who did the chemical attack.

Well, they have all been on their jolly hollies haven't they? Angry

cantspel · 31/08/2013 01:36

baby the UN back in May were investigating chemical attacks which they believe were committed by the rebels. So yes they do have the chemicals and the knowledge of how to use them.

burstingbaboon · 31/08/2013 01:37

I will ask again- why Arab countries dont get involved?

OldMacEIEIO · 31/08/2013 01:39

givemeaboost asks why we cant bomb the airfields remotely.
Well the UK cant, we voted ourselves out, but what about the rest,
the USA and France ?
my question would be, how long shall we bomb them for ? Obama says a few days. But Obama said that about Libya, and we ended up bombing them for 26 weeks

glampinggaloshes · 31/08/2013 01:40

Oldmac. i based it simply on the intercepted telephone calls re direction & confusion over the use of the CW. but i am giving him the benefit of the doubt. at the least he has lost control. if not, it is much worse.

interestingly, his uk educated wife ran a programme for the youth of syria to integrate all parties, for a number of years. in the light of his behaviour, she was she naive? stupid?

OldMacEIEIO · 31/08/2013 01:41

burstingBabboon - even more pertinant
why doesnt Putin pick up the phone and say 'Assad- enough'

AgentZigzag · 31/08/2013 01:41

And maybe choosing to use chemical weapons in such an obvious way giveme, shows they've moved on to a different level?

They've let themselves be seen to be out of control, and therefore capable of anything.

Gets any more out of control and Israel's (and Iran) going to be looking to protecting itself (and they've got nuclear capabilities).

The posters saying we should get steaming in there and save the people, who are we to go steaming into that hot bed of politics and hatred? We've been involved diplomatically since the year dot, but it's really not our fight that's with France.

Did they find out who the snipers belonged to who were firing on the weapons inspectors. I saw a clip of the vehicles they were in, and they weren't half shifting! It was deliberate whoever was doing it.

burstingbaboon · 31/08/2013 01:45

Uk shouldn't involve themselves... You already send aid but. war side of it it's not worth it.

OldMacEIEIO · 31/08/2013 01:45

glamping galoshes. He is a dictator.
Dictators can be very pleasant and accomodating, so long as you are doing exactly what they want, and kiss their ring now and then.
Do something they dont like, and you are a rebel

burstingbaboon · 31/08/2013 01:48

OldMac. That's correct...
Who created all dictators- Hussein, Mugabe, Assad??????

Monty27 · 31/08/2013 01:48

They thought Iraq had them (weapons of mass destruction). They were wrong. And look at happened there while they were finding out.

They know Syria has them, because they've just used them. But they don't know exactly who did it and who to target.

A very dirty war would ensue.

AgentZigzag · 31/08/2013 01:48

I wish I had babyheave, I meant it's been more peripheral in the media and not been thrust in our faces as it is now.

It's at the top of the news agenda because someone's decided it should be.

cantspel · 31/08/2013 02:01

I have looked everywhere on the web for a uk based new article on Dale Gavlak an associated press correspondent who writes for the BBC so we will assume he is legit. Who claims the Syrian rebels have admitted to him they set off the chemical attack in error from weapons supplied to them by saudi.

Why is there no UK press story on this and yet other nations are reporting it. And surely it needs investigating further before Obama drops his bombs on Syria

StElmo · 31/08/2013 02:49

I don't want to see people slaughtered. I hate it, but if you were facing the prospect of your husband/ child going there, you'd think differently. I hate that politicians make decisions about these things knowing full well that other people's lives will be shaped around those decisions, it becomes part of our lives, like the war in Afghanistan. We know we won't be bringing any politician's children home in a box, yet they feel they are they are qualified to make these decisions on our behalf. I hate what is happening there, there's a charity called'arms around Syria' you can donate nappies and perishable packeted food if you feel you need to do something but when you think 'why aren't we getting involved' think of the men who are far younger and braver than any politician, laying their lives down and ask if that's 'fair'

BoreOfWhabylon · 31/08/2013 03:37

Hand in Hand For Syria

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