As Congress comes to a decision on intervention in Syria, Gainesville residents are sorting their own opinions.
On Monday, a French intelligence report alleged that the Syrian regime, led by president Bashar al-Assad, launched a chemical attack that targeted its own people in the Damascus suburbs on Aug. 21, according to the Associated Press.
“We have international law that says we cannot use chemical weapons, and Syria signed,” said UF political science associate professor Leann Brown. “They’re now outside the law.”
An estimated 5,000 Syrians are leaving their homes every day, leading to a total refugee count of more than 2 million people who have escaped to neighboring countries like Iraq and Lebanon, according to the United Nations News Centre.
“It’s especially hard on the refugees,” said Paul D’Anieri, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UF. “It’s a hardship that most of us cannot imagine.”
In a statement Saturday, President Barack Obama proposed a method of limited intervention that does not involve troops on the ground and has decided to seek congressional approval.
“The president is a constitutional lawyer. He wants to make this as legal as he can,” Brown said.
Determined to dissuade the regime of Bashar al-Assad from using chemical weapons again, French President François Hollande agreed with President Obama on intervention.
However, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said France would not act alone and is seeking help from the U.S. and other allies, according to the AP.
“I don’t think intervention is appealing to anybody,” said D’Anieri. “But there are a lot of people that simply believe you cannot allow people to use chemical weapons.”
According to the Obama administration, 1,429 people were killed in the chemical attack.
“There is something about chemical weapons that induces fear and horror,” said D’Anieri. “It is seen as a tool of barbarians and uncivilized people.”
This is an attack that could lead to an escalation in the use of chemical weapons if action is not taken, Obama said Saturday.
“If the U.S. has to intervene, I don’t know how, but I just hope that they could manage to find a more peaceful way of doing so without bombing people,” said Jordi Escaravadal, a 28-year-old international business student at UF.
D’Anieri said when Congress goes back in session, the vote should produce some very interesting results.
“This particular case has the feel of something that people will be looking back to for many years as a turning point in world politics,” he said.
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 9/5/2013 under the headline "Locals unsure about conflict in Syria"
