Civil War in Syria and the Paradoxes of the International Community

Abstract

From the international law perspective, the three-year conflict in Syria shows a paradoxical result. First, because it is inevitable to compare the rapid decision making process of the United Nations Security Council to intervene militarily in the Libyan crisis of 2011 with its passivity and political blockade in relation to Syria. Furthermore, because only the imminent threat of military intervention in Syria in the fall of 2013 led to the parties involved and their key partners to achieve a chemical disarmament plan in Syria taken by the Security Council partners equally not comparable in their terms, deadlines and compliance to the terms established for Iraq after the first Gulf war. The greatest paradox of the international community lies, however, in the deplorable situation of vulnerability and suffering of the civilian population and the drama of the Syrian refugees. War crimes and crimes against humanity committed by all warring parties whether governmental or not, remain unpunished, given the political stalemate in the Security Council regarding the proposal to refer the Syrian situation to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, despite official condemnations and statements of international human rights institutions.