Introduction to International Politics
Foreign Event Analysis
| Locale | ![[]](http://www.kvasaheim.com/flags/flag15-sy.png "Flag of Syria") | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| Title |
Syrians hold anti-U.S. rally
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| Summary |
Thousands of Syrians have staged a mass anti-U.S. rally outside the U.S. embassy in Damascus, Syria. Signs reading “No to American terrorism” and “America the sponsor of destruction and wars” illustrates Syria’s protest to the recent U.S. military raid near the border of Syria and Iraq, killing eight civilians including children. The attack, U.S. officials say, targeted an Iraqi national who was smuggling arms and fighters across the border. The U.S. has repeatedly accused Syria of not doing enough to stop the trafficking of weapons and anti-government fighters into Iraq from their borders. Syria, on the other hand, has said it is doing all it can do to secure the border. In response to the attack, Syria has demanded a formal apology from the United States and has threatened to cut off cooperation with border security if any more incidents occur. The U.S. government has refused to confirm, deny or comment on the alleged attack.
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| Analysis |
In its attack, the United States was attempting to essentially teach Syria a lesson—cooperate with us or face the consequences. In this case, the United States is the strong actor and Syria is the weak one, thus Syria must comply with the United States by cooperating with its War on Terror. Though Syria has claimed that they are doing everything they can to secure the border between eastern Syria and Iraq, the United States says they could and should be doing more. The United States is now using their power over a smaller, weaker state to show them that they need to shape up.
Because there is no power above the states, Syria has to defend itself. There is no world police force that is going to punish the U.S. for attacking Syrian civilians. However, the mass protests and rallies of people carrying signs that accuse the United States of being the real terrorists will certainly stir up controversy in the Middle East. There is no universal center of power in the world, but the power of consensus is strong. Especially throughout the Middle East, there is a general consensus that the United States is at fault for many problems within the area and that they need to get out of their territory immediately. The raid on Syria and Syria’s anti-US reaction will definitely create more tension between the Middle East and the United States and could potentially contradict what the War on Terror is supposed to do. More terrorism could occur if the United States continues with these types of military actions. | |
| Perspective |  | Realist |
| In-Region URL | ||
| Out-of-Region URL | ||
| Submitted | October 30, 2008 at 12:57 pm | |
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