Summary and Response: The Observer view on Syria and the West

This report presents a summary and critical response to The Observer Editorial published in The Guardian, which discusses the ongoing Syrian conflict. The editorial highlights the instability in the Middle East caused by the war, the inaction of Western nations, and the resulting refugee crisis. The student's response agrees with the editorial's concerns regarding a potential mass exodus of refugees to Europe due to Western inaction. However, the response challenges the editorial's claims regarding Israel's actions in Syria, arguing that Israel acts based on security needs rather than American or Russian approval. The response also critiques the editorial for potentially oversimplifying the conflict by placing blame solely on Western leaders and overlooking the roles of other stakeholders like Iran and Russia. The report emphasizes the multifaceted nature of the Syrian conflict, suggesting that a comprehensive solution requires the involvement of all parties involved.

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Summary and Strong Response
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Summary and Strong Response
Summary of Editorial (Link:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/25/observer-view-on-syria-the-
wests-shameful-failure-to-act)
This piece from the Guardian is published as “Observer editorial” as an opinion on the
ongoing Syria war. The war in Syria poses instability in the Middle East as Western nations
shamefully refuse to act to end the conflict. The conflict has displaced more than 3 million
civilians since April with many heading toward the Turkish border. The crisis does not feature as
an agenda in the G7 summit even as ISIS shows a resurgence in Syria and Iraq. The inaction by
Western leaders gives the Syrian regime space to continue committing atrocities against civilians
with the backing of Russia. Turkey may be forced to take unitary action to stem the flood of
refugees fleeing into Turkey which may result in a mass exodus of refugees toward Europe. At
the same time, Israel continues to pursue an undeclared war with Iran inside Syria which may
escalate the instability in the Middle East.
Response to the Editor
I agree with the editorial board that there is a danger of a mass exodus of refugees toward
Europe similar to what happened in 2015. European leaders do not seem alarmed that this is a
potential danger of their inaction to end the conflict in Syria. I also agree with the board that
even though Donald Trump had decided to withdraw US forces from Syria, his military chiefs
had the foresight to resist his demand. American and British special forces working with Syrian
Kurds have played a pivotal role in the fight against ISIS in Syria.
However, I feel that some facts are misrepresented by the board with regard to Israel. The
assertion that Israel is carrying out military action in an undeclared war against Iran in Syria with

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America’s blessing and possibly Putin’s approval is false. Israel does not need the blessings of
America to undertake military action in Syria; it does so out of security necessity. Russia is a
close ally of Iran in Syria and it is illogical to posit that Putin would approve of Israel’s action
against its ally.
At the same time, the editorial board assumes that Western leaders have plenty of latitude
to act in the Syrian conflict. Ignoring the actions of Iran and Russia who provide significant
military support to the Syrian regime tends to lay the blame on one side and raises unreasonable
expectations on the same. The conflict in Syria has myriad of players and successfully ending the
war entails bringing on board all the stakeholders. I believe that blaming Western leaders is
myopic in this context.

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References
Observer Editorial. (2019). The Observer view on Syria and the west’s shameful failure to act.
The Guardian, Sun 25 August, 2019. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/25/observer-view-on-syria-the-
wests-shameful-failure-to-act