Mummy is it morning yet? A young girl asks as she looks to the blackened skies, its midday in Aleppo. The scream of the jets and plumes of phosphorus from the self serving rockets adds to this particular version of Armageddon. As one 'Save the Children' official noted, 'even the underground bunkers have now just become another place to die'. The facts of this endless conflict are chillingly straightforward, since this battle began in July 2012 the population of the eastern part of Syria's largest city have either been displaced or are dead. That is around a million people. As a historian Syria's Stalingrad comes to mind. As a philosopher Darwin and the primordial fight for survival seems apt but as a human being my head is turned by my heart as surely this is 'hell on earth' as around 100,000 children are trapped, unable to sleep, to play, to pray, to go to school and unable just to see the sun. This is the worst of us.
For me, as a political observer Aleppo has become a post modern illustration of the very darkest that we can picture and paint. We have watched on for four years as this city has been used and abused as a trial of strength by the numerous warring factions that support the Assad's government or oppose it. But it has also become a geo-political arena where Washington, Brussels, and Moscow displays, disputes and then despatches their military might without any genuine thought as to the inhumanity they are really proffering. The United Nations also looks on as their weak words of STOP IT fall on the ears of politicians that can hear but will not listen. This lack of courage and commonality that our leaders possess, their unwillingness and inability to stop this carnage strikes at the very centre of what civilization truly means. The brutalisation of us all is the result as we accept this to be our new normal. For this is the worst of all conflicts as it is not only a civil war with the internecine horrors of family fighting family and brother killing brother, but it also has the added poisonous and pernicious ingredients offered by outsiders from Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the West.
During Obama's presidency there were opportunities to stop this human catastrophe - July 2013 when red lines where drawn on the Syrian canvass by the US President as he warned Assad and Russia to go no further or else. But there was no or else as Moscow and Damascus ignored the warnings and expanded their range. Obama had blinked and the opportunity was lost. Assad during the first 2 years of this war when besieged on all sides would have accepted 'a deal' brokered by the West. Yet Washington, London and Brussels refused to deal with this particular dictator. Other dictators in this region were fine to work with but not this one. This political arrogance and intransigence would go on to provide the blackened backdrop for this modern day nightmare.
As Christmas is welcomed with wine and good cheer in the capitals of Washington, Brussels and London what does the New Year bring for the children of Aleppo as they queue in freezing conditions hoping and waiting for modern transport to take them away from this ancient hell? This is a seasonal picture that you will not see drawn on your Christmas cards because its too real for our liberal and partial sensitivities. So, maybe this coming year we should stop pretending to see the World as we would like it and deal with the World as it really is. We owe it to the children of Aleppo to face the reality of now so that they have a chance to dream, to pretend and to see the sun.
Happy Christmas and Real New Year to you all
KK
For me, as a political observer Aleppo has become a post modern illustration of the very darkest that we can picture and paint. We have watched on for four years as this city has been used and abused as a trial of strength by the numerous warring factions that support the Assad's government or oppose it. But it has also become a geo-political arena where Washington, Brussels, and Moscow displays, disputes and then despatches their military might without any genuine thought as to the inhumanity they are really proffering. The United Nations also looks on as their weak words of STOP IT fall on the ears of politicians that can hear but will not listen. This lack of courage and commonality that our leaders possess, their unwillingness and inability to stop this carnage strikes at the very centre of what civilization truly means. The brutalisation of us all is the result as we accept this to be our new normal. For this is the worst of all conflicts as it is not only a civil war with the internecine horrors of family fighting family and brother killing brother, but it also has the added poisonous and pernicious ingredients offered by outsiders from Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the West.
During Obama's presidency there were opportunities to stop this human catastrophe - July 2013 when red lines where drawn on the Syrian canvass by the US President as he warned Assad and Russia to go no further or else. But there was no or else as Moscow and Damascus ignored the warnings and expanded their range. Obama had blinked and the opportunity was lost. Assad during the first 2 years of this war when besieged on all sides would have accepted 'a deal' brokered by the West. Yet Washington, London and Brussels refused to deal with this particular dictator. Other dictators in this region were fine to work with but not this one. This political arrogance and intransigence would go on to provide the blackened backdrop for this modern day nightmare.
As Christmas is welcomed with wine and good cheer in the capitals of Washington, Brussels and London what does the New Year bring for the children of Aleppo as they queue in freezing conditions hoping and waiting for modern transport to take them away from this ancient hell? This is a seasonal picture that you will not see drawn on your Christmas cards because its too real for our liberal and partial sensitivities. So, maybe this coming year we should stop pretending to see the World as we would like it and deal with the World as it really is. We owe it to the children of Aleppo to face the reality of now so that they have a chance to dream, to pretend and to see the sun.
Happy Christmas and Real New Year to you all
KK
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