Learning from Libya, Acting in Syria

Authors

Caitlin A. Buckley, Hudson InstituteFollow

Author Biography

Caitlin Alyce Buckley is a foreign affairs analyst with seven years of experience in public service, economic development, federal and state government operations, and nonprofit operations—most recently with the Hudson Institute. Ms. Buckley graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.A. in Political Science and is proficient in several languages. Following graduation, she spent a year teaching English as a foreign language in Moscow and then studied business at the graduate level in France. She is interested in strategy development, international trade, and consulting. She recently authored "India and Kazakhstan: Bilateral Political, Economic, Strategic and Cultural Relations" (Foreign Policy Research Centre Journal-10). She also coauthored, with Dmitry Novak, Dmitri Titoff and Richard Weitz, "Assessing Kazakhstan's Proposal to Host a Nuclear Fuel Bank" (UNISCI Discussion Papers No. 28). In the past she has worked as a research assistant for Sasha Abramsky on Inside Obama's Brain, and currently they are working on another publication.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.5.2.5

Subject Area Keywords

Africa, China, Civil war and internal conflict, Conflict studies, Democracy and democatization, Foreign aid, Human rights, Humanitarian assistance, International institutions, International law, International relations, International security, Iran, Iraq, Military affairs, Nuclear weapons and nonproliferation, Peace studies, Political violence, Regional conflict, Religious violence, Russia, Stability operations, Threat assessment, War studies

Abstract

The international community has reached an impasse. The violence committed by Syrian President Assad's government against opposition forces, who have been calling for democratic reform, regime change, and expanded rights, has necessitated a response from the international community. This article explores various ways the international community could respond to the crisis in Syria and the consequences of each approach. It compares the current calamity in Syria to the crisis in Libya and examines the international community's response to the violence perpetrated by Qaddafi's regime. It further analyzes reports, primarily from the UN and news sources, about the ongoing predicament in Syria. The article concludes that the international community should proceed with achieving a ceasefire via dialogue but must begin by conveying newly imposed sanctions that affect the Sunni merchant class and thus threaten Assad's grip on power to make that dialogue more effective. World leaders should also identify a Syrian leader who could replace Assad, who must be removed from power because of the crimes against humanity that have been committed by his regime. Western states must accept that they will have to engage peacekeeping forces in the region to aid the transition of power in Syria.

Recommended Citation

Buckley, Caitlin A.. "Learning from Libya, Acting in Syria." Journal of Strategic Security 5, no. 2 (2012) : 81-104.
DOI:

http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.5.2.5