Leaders of Andover’s Model United Nations, Frontline Magazine, Middle East North African Association (MENAA) and Philomathean Society hosted a panel discussion titled “Syria: Clearing the Rubble” in Kemper Auditorium this past Friday, answering both prepared and Twitter-sourced student questions categorized under #AndoverSyria.
Adham Moustafa ’14, Model United Nations (MUN) board member, Laura Bucklin ’14, Co-President of MUN and Senior Editor at Frontline, Rachel Murree ’14, Co-President of Mock Trial and Managing Director of the Philomathean Society, and Jared Newman ’15, Philomathean Society Associate and Senior Editor at Frontline, discussed the recent conflict in Syria.
> [@Djavaneh](https://twitter.com/Djavaneh) [@jpalfrey](https://twitter.com/jpalfrey) Adham’s solution: “Read what the other side has to say [every] once in a while.” Well-stated. [#AndoverSyria](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23AndoverSyria&src=hash)
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— Junius O. Williams (@JuniusOWilliams) [October 4, 2013](https://twitter.com/JuniusOWilliams/statuses/386270370342256640)
The Syrian conflict began during the Arab Spring in 2011 with peaceful protests that prompted a violent military response. The conflict continues today, with sporadic violence between the government and rebel groups.
One of the main topics of discussion was the United States’ stance on deploying troops into Syria to aid the rebels in their effort to combat the unrelenting Syrian government. This conversation was sparked by the government’s alleged use of chemical weapons.
“The United States should not militarily intervene in Syria. However, I do think it is important that the West pursue humanitarian aid and also support diplomatic ways to resolve the conflict,” said Murree.
> How can we citizens best inform ourselves on questions about [#Syria](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Syria&src=hash) w/out benefit of intell that leaders do? [@phillipian](https://twitter.com/phillipian) [#connectedandover](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23connectedandover&src=hash)
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— John Palfrey (@jpalfrey) [October 4, 2013](https://twitter.com/jpalfrey/statuses/386263439515324416)
Bucklin was also against intervention, though recognized the situation’s volatility. “This is a highly dynamic situation; it’s something that’s changing everyday and given that I think my views change as news changes.”
Moustafa took a more aggressive stance against U.S. intervention, arguing that any action it takes in Syria would not be altruistic.
“I don’t believe the United States has any morality in terms of its foreign policy ventures. [Its endeavours are] dictated by self-interest, economic contracts and defense contracts. What’s good for the United States? The United States has so much to gain,” said Moustafa.
Newman, the only panelist in favor of American intervention, explained that aiding the rebels is the ethical responsibility of the United States. “Do the strong have a responsibility to protect the weak? The answer is yes. The U.S. has a moral obligation at stake… The argument that says that just because we haven’t used a moral argument in the past or that just because we also have pragmatic desires at stake doesn’t necessarily contradict the fact that we also can’t have a moral need for going into Syria,” said Newman.
Moustafa offered potential solutions, including the complete conclusion to the war, the pardoning of all political prisoners with the exception of Al Qaeda affiliates and the shift to democracy in Syria. “This would be a plan that would perhaps potentially create a transition into democracy without there having to be a shock-and-awe approach to getting rid of the government,” Moustafa said.
Bucklin elaborated on her hopes for Syria to democratize peacefully, but conceded that this would likely not happen in the near future given the current political stalemate.
