As European
leaders scramble to tackle the global refugee crisis unfolding across Europe after a large spike in deaths drew
public condemnation, questions remain about who is responsible for the crisis,
and whether such a moral travesty - the worst since World War II, is merely
Europe’s problem to solve 1,2,3.
While European
concerns about resources and the logistics of managing so many people are
understandable, the simple truth is that these desperate, vulnerable refugees
are braving the perilous journey to seek refuge from oppression, instability
and conflict 4.
While a small
number are people who could be classified as economic migrants, looking at the
countries of origin of those sending the most pointed public message that the United
Nations (UN) has failed, there’s “no question” that the majority are refugees
from Syria, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan 5,6.
At stake are
not only the lives of millions of Iraqis, Syrians, Afghans, Libyans and the
future of the Middle East, but also the credibility of the UN, which was
created in 1945 to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
The United
Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the world’s highest security institution
with primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and
security, but unfortunately, it only addresses the strategic interests and
political motives of Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, and
France, collectively known as the Permanent Five (P-5) 7.
At the time
when much of the world was under colonial rule, the winners of World War II crafted
the Charter of the United Nations in their interests, awarded
"permanent" veto-wielding Council seats for themselves and ensured Security
Council decisions bind on all UN member states.
Today, the UNSC is suffering from gridlock, political sclerosis and does not represent the
realities of the international community in the 21st century. P-5 members cover
up for each other, denial the sad reality of today’s spiralling human
catastrophe and lack a
proactive strategy for conflict prevention.
By blocking
motions and preventing multilateralism that is based on democratically-evolved
global consensus to act proactively and effectively, P-5 members hinder the
international community’s ability to address burning issues that affect the lives
of millions around the world 8, 9.
The ill-conceived 2003 invasion of Iraq was the
main ingredient for absurd bloodshed, barbarous sectarian violence and political
posturing that set the stage for the emergence for an entirely new branch of
al-Qaida—al-Qaida in Iraq.
With Saddam's regime deposed and no functional
Weapons of Mass Destruction found, the group that emerged in direct response to
the withdrawal of US troops is resurgent, not just inside Iraq but as a
regional movement, rebuilding its networks in Syria.
Today Iraq is a receptive hub for the notorious
jihadist group, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) whose quest for purity
has surpassed the barbaric Nazi record for cruelty and internationalized
terrorism.
The Libya conflict, one of the most important
contributors to the daily flotilla on the Mediterranean, was sparked by a UNSC inspired intervention with no
clear aftermath plan for long-term stability in Libya 10.
Who can blame
Syrian refugees for attempting to enter Europe? Every attempt by the
international community to provide justice for them has been vetoed, and only a
fraction of the humanitarian aid they need is being provided.
After
four years of fighting in Syria, whole neighborhoods have been razed to
the ground by conventional and occasionally non-conventional weaponry. Chemical
weapons have been used to slaughter innocent men, women, and children. Indiscriminate
massacres and deliberate barrel-bomb air strikes on civilians are an awful
familiarity. More than 250,000 people are dead and nearly half of Syria’s
population of 23 million people has been displaced. 11.
Unfortunately, violence in Syria
has intensified, killings have increased, humanitarian access has diminished, the political track to tackle the crisis
has stalled and humanitarian response remains
severely and chronically underfunded.
According
to Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi, the former UN Peace Envoy to Syria, “there are
"plans of war... no peace plans. I don't see anybody saying, "let's
stop fighting and let's talk” 12.
Not
since the Cuban Missile Crisis has the world been this close to World War III.
But the war in Syria is prompting superpowers - the US and Russia to put their
military assets in close proximity to each other, and all that is needed is a
spark 13, 14.
Though P-5 members of the
UNSC are supposed to do more and can clearly do more to de-escalate the
conflict and implement practical changes to ease the plight of civilians and fully
fund the humanitarian response, on the contrary, they are the main backers of
those fighting.
Instead of using their diplomatic, political and
financial influence to push for peace talks, they are supplying guns, ammunitions, vehicles and
missiles to insurrectionists and jihadists alike in Syria, thereby creating
a receptive hub for violent extremism and a cycle of terrorism15.
Like
generations before us, the responsibility to inspire even the most hardened
of cynics to help lift our world from the desolate valley of inequality and
social injustice to a bright path of peaceful religious co-existence, and justice
for all of God's children is not only one for governments, but for all who care
and desire a better and just world for all humanity.
As we sacrifice
to reach for the world that ought to be - “living for the sake of others” as the guiding
principle for building a global community - that spark of the divine preached by the
Universal Peace Federation, it is time for people of all races, religions, nationalities and cultures to work
together to ensure UNSC is democratic, accountable, effective,
united, and above all, capable of protecting with impartiality the interest of
every global citizen irrespective of their colour, nationality, ethnicity,
linguistic heritage, sex, gender, religion or age 16.
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People
inspecting the bodies of more than 400 children and adults killed in a chemical
attack on August 21st 2013,17.
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Children cry as
thousands of refugees most of them fleeing Syria’s bitter conflict break
through a police cordon to cross into Macedonia from Greece, 18.
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Reference:
18. http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/03/world/gallery/europes-refugee-crisis/
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