By Sawraj Singh
Many people all over the world have this illusion that there is a great respect for law in the western societies and they are law abiding societies. However, the recent attack on Syria by the western countries should make them think seriously about their perception of these countries. Just like the attack on Egypt by the UK, France and Israel in 1956, the attack on Syria by the USA, France and the UK shows complete disregard for the international law and the international institutions such as the UN and the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition Chemical Weapons). These countries did not even bother to get approval from their own parliamentary institutions like the American Senate or the British Parliament.
One other fundamental principle of law is that punishment is given only after proving guilt, proving Syria guilty of the crime it was accused of committing. Moreover, the investigation by the OPCW was going on and had not been concluded. Why was there such hurry in carrying this attack? One reason could be that the countries which launched the attack knew very well that the result of investigation is not going to be in their favor. The other reason can be that they wanted to destroy the evidence to shield the real culprit.
Still another important aspect of any crime is a motive behind the crime. When police or any other investigating agency starts an investigation of a crime, the first thing they look into is the motive behind the crime. It does not make any sense that the Syrian government which is winning the war would use chemical weapons. On the other hand, the rebels who are losing the war have a clear motive to use such weapons. They want to give the western countries an excuse to defame and attack Syria so they can defame and get rid of the present government and establish a government of their choice.
Moreover, history or past pattern of committing a crime also increases possibility of committing present crime. The western countries have consistent pattern of committing such crime that is overthrowing legitimate governments which they do not like and replacing those by governments of their choice by whatever means available to them. This happened in Iran, Vietnam, Indonesia, Chile, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. These are just a few examples of western interventions in the affairs of the others. It may not be an exaggeration to say that intervening in the internal affairs of other sovereign states has been a rule rather than an exception for the western countries. Old habits are difficult to break. Therefore, they are trying the same in Syria.
If we compare the attack on Syria by the western countries to the attack on Egypt over the issue of sovereignty of the Suez Canal, then it becomes clear that the outcome is also likely to be similar. The 1956 attack established Nasser as the leader of Pan Arab nationalism and also as an important world leader. Along with Nehru of India, Tito of Yugoslavia, Nasser became the pioneer of the Non Alignment movement. This time, Putin seems destined to emerge as the most important and most powerful leader of the world. In a way, Putin has already achieved this status. However, this attack will confirm, reinforce and consolidate his status as well as make it more acceptable. Everybody can see that Putin conducted himself far better than the western leaders in this conflict.
He showed moderation, restraint and farsightedness not shown by any western leader. The western leaders acted like they were Police Men of the world. This attitude makes role of the international institutions superfluous and redundant. Moreover, it also makes mockery of the international law. The western countries do not want to abide by the rules of the international institutions and the international law they want these institutions and the international law to obey them. They want the whole world to know that they are the one who make rules and expect everybody to follow their rules.
The western countries also feel that the current globalization is their Elite Boys Club in which they have a special and a privileged status. They are the chiefs while all others are the Indians. I feel that Russia, China and India should work together to change this state of affairs. We need a new world order where everybody is treated equally and with respect. The international institutions should also be based upon these principles and the international law should protect these principles. Everybody should abide by and respect the international law.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
