Assad Not Afraid To Use Chemical Weapons: Knows That No Foreign Military Force Will Head To Syria To Deter Him
06 May 2013By Abdul
Rahman Al-Rashed
Last summer, US President Barack Obama warned that if
it is confirmed that Syria is transferring or using
chemical weapons, he would change his position
regarding military intervention in Syria.
A few months later, the US secretary of state
announced that the Syrian regime did in fact transfer
chemical weapons for military use. However, White
House experts decided that the chemical weapons were
transported to Hezbollah, and so no action was taken.
For almost a year now, there have been leaked reports
that confirm Assad's use of chemical weapons. It was
first claimed that he had used chlorine gas. The
response was that this is a gas that has been around
since World War I and only causes asphyxiation. Nerve
agents, on the other hand, are completely different.
It was later claimed, however, that Assad's forced had
used the fatal mustard gas. Despite this, no one did
anything.
During this month's conference of security research
institutes, an Israeli official announced that the
Syrian regime used sarin, also a nerve agent. Neither
the Americans, nor anybody else, sent warplanes to
Syria.
An Israeli commentator at the Haaretz daily newspaper
warned that Gulf countries are observing how the
international community is dealing with Assad, and it
is clear that the Syrian president was testing how far
he could "push the envelope." In the process, it was
realized that no one wants to end the slaughter. Thus,
the situation is similar to that of a factory carrying
out different experiments—not experiments related to
weapons of mass destruction, but experiments on the
international community's reaction. The result is that
everyone is aware of what Assad is doing and no one
intends to do anything.
Initially, Assad realized that no one in the world is
concerned about him suffocating civilians with
primitive chlorine gas. So, he moved on to the use of
mustard gas. After it seemed that no one was concerned
about that either, he graduated to sarin gas. It is
important to mention that a one-milligram drop of
sarin can kill an adult and one fourth of a milligram
is enough to kill a child. Assad possesses tons of
sarin.
Why is there such horrific indifference? Is it because
Syria is a petroleum-producing country? Maybe it is
because Assad's fight is with Al-Qaeda?
How can the world claim that fighting terrorism and
criminal regimes is an international duty?
How can the US State Department justify its statements
condemning violations of human rights in the region
while overlooking the deaths of innocents as a result
of chemical weapons?
The question that everyone must now consider is: How
can we prevent regional governments from purchasing
chemical weapons—the cheapest, most effective
instrument of violence?
When Saddam was expelled from Kuwait as a result of
collective international military efforts, this was a
message to everyone, not just Saddam. The message was
that thuggery and threatening other countries comes at
a high price.
When Afghanistan was shelled and Bin Laden and his
Taliban allies fled, it was considered a message to
terrorist figures across the world that terrorists
will be pursued no matter where they seek refuge.
It is apparent that everyone learned the lesson. We
have had no major wars or invasions since then. Most
terrorist groups went into hiding and no government
has dared negotiate with such groups publicly.
Assad's regime has committed horrific massacres
against the Syrian people for two years, using weapons
that no one ever imagined could be used to target
civilians: warplanes, tanks, missiles and chemical
weapons. This sends a powerful message: stock up on
all types of weapons and one day you will be able to
use them.
It is for this reason that few would be surprised if
Assad decides to save time and end the uprising by
deploying chemical weapons on a mass scale. Assad now
knows that no foreign military force will head to
Syria to deter him.
Al Rashed is the general manager of Al -Arabiya
television. He is also the former editor-in-chief of
Asharq Al- Awsat, and the leading Arabic weekly
magazine, Al Majalla. He is also a senior Columnist in
the daily newspapers of Al Madina and Al Bilad. He is
a US post-graduate degree in mass communications. He
has been a guest on many TV current affairs programs.
He is currently based in Dubai.
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