Poison Gas in Syria

Still contemplating the situation in Syria relating to the use of poison gas.  And what do I know about it?  I read reports—are the reports accurate?
 

I know poison gas is a nasty thing.  I know world organizations have outlawed poison gas as a weapon.  But they’ve outlawed a lot of things. How can this ban be enforced?  Maybe it can’t be enforced.

I have written my congress people, opposing direct U.S. military action in Syria “at this time.”  I suppose I should have called....(or should I??).  “Direct.”  “At this time.”  But maybe later (or sooner?), with the proper wisdom.

It's curious. When the U.S. invaded Iraq, I felt like I was one of the few people in the country who was neutral. But I couldn't commit either way. Instead I was, perhaps, simply numb -- stunned?

As a long-time member of Amnesty International, I knew what a heartless dictator Saddam Hussein was. But I also was pretty sure that George "W." was acting from extremely questionable motives.

So I stood and watched as American tanks moved into Iraq, then I sent a card to the Muslim Students Association on my campus.  They in turn invited me to their meetings.  I attended a few and met a few of their members.

Now, years later, I’m left with much to ponder.  Assad is pretty heartless…

It’s easy to condemn and punish someone when you’re enemies anyway.  

And speaking of Syria, poison gas, and the world in general...

I’ve been watching videos of one of the great tangos of all time -- "Cambalache" ("The Junk Shop")—its theme is the insanity of the 20th Century (and it was written in 1934, before the depth of the insanity and inhumanity had even become apparent.  Several videos are compilations of photos chronicling the best and worst (mostly the worst) people and events of the last hundred or so years.  There are different videos, with different compilations.  What would you chose?  We see pictures of starving children and parents, the World Trade Center towers bursting into flame.   Pictures of Hitler and Bin Laden.  George W. Bush.  Albert Einstein, Mother Teresa.  A few pictures from the Vietnam War.

The concept of “The Junk Shop” is that everything is tossed in together, and priced the same:  the “ass” and the “great professor”—they’re all treated as of equal value.

I don’t recall any photographs relating to the Cambodian genocide, the “Dirty War” in Argentina, the Japanese (or Indonesian) tsunamis, the Bhopal disaster, Chernobyl…  I suppose the choices would be personal.  There were photographs or paintings of various leaders (I think one sequence was supposed to show a series of Latin American leaders—with particular “remarks” about Pinochet.  No pictures of Franco, though).

Curiously, the more I read about foreign governments, the more I appreciate the United States form of government.  Nevertheless, I grow more aware of its flaws.  Nothing is perfect.

So the world must say something about Syria.  But what to say?  What can we agree on?  That poison gas is nasty and has been outlawed and shouldn’t be used.  But can we stop it?

Latin America, the United States—and Syria

For various reasons, I have become interested in Latin American history.

First, I’m interested in history generally.  In college, in addition to standard history requirements, I also studied German and Russian history, and the history of the modern Middle East.

Second, I have a few Facebook friends from Latin America.

Third, the United States seems to have a unique relationship with Latin America.

Fourth, and connected with the third:  I became aware, a decade or more back, that in the United States people are generally not taught about Latin America.

Anyway, I have been poring over histories of Latin America, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina—and I’m still quite confused, although Mexican history is beginning to jell; meaning that I now have a general sense or outline in my head of how Mexico has developed.  In the case of Brazil and Argentina, there are still large gaps in my understanding.

I feel that perhaps I’ve been wrong to neglect the period of colonial Spanish and Portuguese rule; perhaps the key to understanding everything that has happened since lies there, in the earlier history?

On the whole, at the moment, I feel a bit depressed.  Thinking of Latin American history, I’m aware of great social inequalities, imperfect democracy, and a long-term disregard for human rights.  Thinking of Latin-U.S. relations, I’m much clearer now on why Latin America feels antagonism towards the United States.

Meanwhile, in the wider world, I wonder what is about to happen in Syria.  It starts to occur to me that certain aspects of the Arab World may bear comparison to Latin America—including how the United States relates to both regions.

Much more to study, and learn, and think about!