Guns Versus Books

On January 15, two explosions at the University of Aleppo in Syria claimed lives of several students who were taking exams. The ongoing civil war in Syria, which began last mid-march, has already killed more than 40,000 people, including children, women and other non-combatants. Till now, educational institutions were spared from strikes and bombings, however, with Aleppo university attack Syria has reached a new low in its grave violations of human rights. 

The international community has not been able to put an end to Syria’s conflict till now. One of the major reasons is the sheer lack of political will. There are several provisions present within the legal remit of the UN which can be invoked to prevent the humanitarian crises. But an archaic veto system, used to its full advantage by Russia and China, two of the five UNSC permanent members, has blocked the much needed relief.

 Russia and China subscribe to Article 2(7) of the UN Charter in defense of their veto use. [The article states that the UN is not authorized to intervene in domestic jurisdiction of any state].But that is just one provision, misinterpreted, to suit vested interests.

Responsibility to Protect’ (R2P), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2005 is a powerful provision that can be invoked in full spirit to safeguard civilians. The International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, (ICISS), which enshrines R2P was built to minimize the “capricious” use of veto. Besides, R2P stipulates that if a state fails to protect its citizens, it becomes an international responsibility that humanitarian crises be addressed.

There is no dearth of legal solution to end Syrian crises. There is chapter VII with Articles 43-47, allowing UNSC to take enforcement action when threat to peace exists or an act of aggression takes place. Others like Article 24 and 1.1 emphasize on peace and security.

But deficit in political will has caused the war to continue. The youth is engaged with weapons rather than books. The institution of war is gaining prominence over institutions of education and literally writing obituaries of their own people. May be it’s time to turn to books for a real revolution!

(photo courtesy:ibtimes.co.uk)