More than 200 people have been killed in Syria over the last two days, many of them reportedly army defectors. The UN estimates that at least 5,000 people have been killed since protests against the Assad regime began. Arab League observers are expected to arrive in the country shortly to monitor the situation. Protesters are, however, skeptical that their presence will have much of an effect.
The Assad government has responded to popular uprisings by engaging in violent and systematic attacks against its population, and using state sovereignty to shield itself from accountability. It is time for the UN Security Council to take action. The council has a duty to maintain peace and security. It can no longer stand by idly as the Syrian people are killed. If strong and unified action isn't taken immediately, the violence while continue to escalate.
A potential solution is for the Security Council to deploy a peacekeeping force to quell the violence. The Syrian government (and presumably the opposition) would have to consent to the peacekeepers' presence. This wouldn't be unprecedented, as a peacekeeping force, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), has been in Syria since 1974 to maintain the peace and supervise the disengagement between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights.
At bottom, peacekeepers are used to protect and promote human rights. These are the very rights that the Syrian protesters are trying to exercise, and the Assad regime is trying to suppress. If the Security Council does indeed take action, it should strongly consider deploying a peacekeeping operation to prevent the situation in Syria from deteriorating further.
A potential solution is for the Security Council to deploy a peacekeeping force to quell the violence. The Syrian government (and presumably the opposition) would have to consent to the peacekeepers' presence. This wouldn't be unprecedented, as a peacekeeping force, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), has been in Syria since 1974 to maintain the peace and supervise the disengagement between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights.
At bottom, peacekeepers are used to protect and promote human rights. These are the very rights that the Syrian protesters are trying to exercise, and the Assad regime is trying to suppress. If the Security Council does indeed take action, it should strongly consider deploying a peacekeeping operation to prevent the situation in Syria from deteriorating further.
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