Tag Archives: Opposition Forces
13 August 2013
The New York Times reported that Sudan has provided weapons for the Syrian rebels, adding yet another layer to the unregistered multinational arms pipeline supplying the opposition forces first reported by the NYT in June.
According to Western officials and Syrian rebels, the Sudanese government sold anti-aircraft missiles and small arms cartridges to Qatar in publically unacknowledged deals, and Qatar arranged for them to be delivered to the Syrian opposition forces through Turkey. Sudan, that maintains close ties with Iran and China, has reportedly denied sending weapons to the opposition forces.
Source: The New York Times | Arms Shipments Seen From Sudan to Syria Rebels
20 June 2013
John Glaser, the editor of Antiwar.com, argues in his opinion post released on Al Jazeera that US arming the Syrian opposition risks entangling the US in a brutal and complex civil war.
Providing small arms to the opposition would not tip the scale in favor of the opposition and would instead prolong the stalemate and even push the Assad regime to be more violent, Glaser argues.
More intrusive intervention could even turn into a broader clash with Iran and Hezbollah with potentially dangerous implications for the entire Gulf Region, Glaser notes. Echoing the comments by Tufts Professor Daniel W. Drezner on Foreign Policy on 14 June, that arming the opposition is US realpolitik towards Syria, Glaser reminds his readers of the last time US interests coincided with those of the Saudis: supporting insurgents in Afghanistan in the 1980s, now a textbook example of blowback and unintended consequences.
Source: Al Jazeera | Sending arms to Syria is irrational and dangerous
Source: Foreign Policy | Why Obama is arming Syria's rebels: it's the realism, stupid.
17 June 2013
Cross posted on EJIL: Talk!
In the last few weeks, a shared responsibility trap has arisen in relation to the conflict in Syria. On 4 June 2013, the Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic documented that anti-government forces have engaged in a wide range of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. At the same time, several States are inching towards openly supplying the Syrian opposition with arms. On 27 May, the Council of Ministers of the European Union decided not to renew the arms embargo against Syria. On 14 June, the United States announced that it plans to provide weapons in response to its finding that Syria has used chemical weapons. (more…)