Yossi Mekelberg is a Programme Director -International Relations & Social Sciences Regent's University London and an Associate Fellow, MENA Programme, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House. He was Head of International Relations Department at Webster University/Regent's College.

Yossi Mekelberg to Gulan: If the United Nations cannot stop such a bloody war, this will put the question mark on the existence of the United Nations


Gulan: the Syrian situation is heading towards a humanitarian disaster as huge numbers of people have been displaced to the neighboring countries, in addition to the increasing number of victims who have been killed by chemical weapons. In your opinion, to what extent will the world keep silent towards this disaster?

Mekelberg: in the two years of civil war, the victims mount to--maybe close to-- one hundred thousand people dead and more than million people displaced and allegedly the use of chemical weapons and the world that does nothing to protect innocent civilians. And I think it is on the international community and their commitment to protect civilians and innocent people. It is not just the right for protection, it is an obligation going there that the killings, the crimes against humanity won’t take place again, and right now we see that for more than two years. I think we have got to the caution point in the civil war in Syria in which the international community has to make a very clear stance on what is the policy and what should happen and if it is not happened, all of us will become countable to what is happening there.

Gulan: but the situation in Syria resulted in the polarization between Russia and the west, from now on it is a humanitarian issue that the international community should think from the humanitarian view, not from this polarization or their interest. In your opinion, to what extent, is the world unanimously going to vote for resolving Syrian issue from the humanitarian point of view?

Mekelberg: of course as I have mentioned earlier there is a very strong humanitarian case to stop this war and all these conflicting interests between the United States, Europe, Russia, China, Turkey, the Saudis, the Qataris, in all of these, it is obvious that they cannot reach a decision but this is the major threat for the international community, for all the system of the United Nations. If they cannot stop such a bloody war, this will put the question mark on the existence of the United Nations. The United Nations established exactly to deal with this kind of issues. If it failed to deal with what we have seen there, they need to reconsider their stance at the level of the United Nations, at the level of the Security Council and how do they deal with this type of conflict which there is no commonality interest, but still there is no one to doubt the crimes against humanity that take place in Syria and if they can’t take a stance on this, we have to be blamed for the killing of so many people, the use of chemical weapons, the torturing of so many people and making people lose their houses and make them refugees…

Gulan: we can see that the Kurdish territory in Syria used to be quiet, but after the massacre by Al-Nusra Front against the Kurds, the people in these areas have also been displaced. Last year one hundred thousand people entered Kurdistan Region. In your view, how is it possible to be silent towards a mass murdering process by Al-Qaeda terrorist organization towards a part of Syrian nation?

Mekelberg: this is a different and important question--the issue of the involvement of external forces within Syria and the entrance of the Jihadist, fundamentalist, and the Islamic Jihad within this civil war-- one of the problems within Syrian civil war is the lack of unity among the Syrians whether it is Kurds, Christians, Shiites and Sunnis against the Assad regime. I think this is unfortunate source of divide from the beginning, all of them were not united and they were single minded in dealing with toppling the Assad regime and tried to look into the day after. This makes a chance for the Jihadists to move in, which they had different agenda. They do not want a better Syria, but they want to export the more universal version of Jihadism or fundamentalism and I think this is a danger that should be dealt with.

Gulan: how about the idea of creating the safe haven inside Syria, to what extent does the international community think of providing the Syrian nation a safe haven inside?

Mekelberg: this is the issue of not only a safe haven but also a no-fly zone trying to support innocent civilians and protect them. The issue in the west and the other parts of international community is not to move to a no-fly zone and the rights to protect into active involvement and regime change as was the case in Libya. This is one of the reasons the Russians and the chines resist it with more complication. However, if this is not done, we will see more people displaced and killed internally and externally and others will become refugees. This is the work of international community to do something, to go and get involved either to regime change or protect the civilians; otherwise we will see more mass killings and massacres continue.

Gulan: it seems that after the downfall of the Assad regime, Syria will become a shelter for terrorism, so what will be the future of Syria between a failed state of Assad and post Assad Al- Qaeda terrorist state?

Mekelberg: this is a very good question. In my mind I think if the Assad is defeated, at the end of the day the Syrian will reject the Islamists and Jihadists from the outside and I think the danger of Syria being taken off by external forces or the jihadists or the sections fight each other within Syria, but this is the challenge for the Syrian themselves, all the communities Christians, the Sunnis, or the Alawites—that are not on the Assad side-- the Kurds have to decide to build a new Syria which will be a state for all the citizens, give autonomy to the different groups, and reveal Syria in a way that will reject becoming a failed state. No one can guarantee success but this is a chance that all the forces will be supported by forces from the outside in order to build a successful Syria, but we are talking about a long and probably a conflictual process, it is not going to be easy.

Gulan: there are discussions about Syrian components not able to coexist together in the same country and predicting that the country will split up after toppling of the Assad regime just like the former Yugoslavia, so if Syria is divided, what impact will it have on the whole area?

Mekelberg: well, this is one of the theories of the balkanization of Syria that it is going into internal civil war. Every section will try to get all the territory and resources that will reach to Lebanon and this exactly the worst case scenario that must be avoided. There is a need for a dialogue between all the sects to avoid that. I think one of the problems is that whenever the factions met, they couldn’t find a common platform in which they agree on the after Assad. And this is the end of the possibility of ending Assad. I think this is the case that should now to be considered with the support of the international community to avoid balkanization of Syria thereafter.

Gulan: How can the Kurds in Iraq support the Kurds in Syria?

Mekelberg: I think the KRG can play a significant role because in the last few years they showed the unity within the Kurdish areas. The KRG has enjoyed much success economically and socially in the last few years and I think it is almost time to contribute to helping what is happening in Syria because of the good example of success that we have seen right now and it could be an example of post war reconstruction as it has developed in all sectors.