w  rd 2 the woss

The Coalition

 

 

The war that continues to rage in Syria is beginning to resemble one that does not have an end in sights and the past week, the war has reached a degree that is unforeseeable and unfathomable.

 

 

On October 19th, 2015 Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau won the 42nd Canadian Election with a majority government. The first of many platforms that he laid out was his plan to pull Canadian jets out of Syria and Iraq. This came as a surprise to many, who continue to ask what the coalition has really achieved.

 

 

It was a surprise to many Syrians that leader Bashar Al-Assad had left the country late last week to attend talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Al-Assad approved Putin’s efforts in the Russian bombing campaign of Islamic State. In addition, Al-Assad had a clear message to convey about the U.S. lead coalition. In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Al-Assad declared that he feels the United States’ effort in Syria has failed, and backed the continuation of the Russian military intervention.

 

 

Syria finds itself torn into three regions under the control of ISIS, Al-Assad. and the Free Syrian Army. Al-Assad’s words speak little to what is really happening. This week in an interview with the BBC, a spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army said that Al-Assad is wrong about the Russian intervention. He said the majority of the bombs that Russia sends are adversely affecting the Free Syrian Army’s battle on the ground with ISIS. He also said that the Assad regime was finished, and that the army of Assad was dying or perhaps even dead.

 

 

The Refugee Crisis

 

 

As the war continues, the refugee numbers seem to be increasing and, as evidenced over the last few month, there appears to be no end to the refugee crisis. Germany appears to be offering the most aid and receiving the majority of the refugees coming to Europe to seek shelter. Current figures suggest that Germany has taken in 1.2 million in the past few months. While other countries are helping out, a proper plan still needs to be drawn up between the countries of the European Union. Hungary and Macedonia remain the only two countries to have closed their borders.

 

 

In the UK, a rather defiant voice was heard from an unlikely place. Only a few weeks ago the Church of England sent a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, urging him to increase the number of migrants the UK is taking in. The UK government announced that they plan to take in 50,000 migrants over the next four years.

 

 

Here in Canada there is optimism that the dismal immigration policy of the former Conservative government may be on its way out. The new approach to the Syrian crisis by Trudeau shows that our new Prime Minister is working towards a slightly different goal, perhaps one that considers the lives of everyday Syrians more than the effort to stop the forces that continue to do battle in Syria and Iraq.

 

 

Next Steps?

 

With no clear end in sight the rest of the world is left waiting to see what happens next. One thing is for sure; hope is not going away. Something has got to give, and the conflict may come to an end. As for now, we watch where the world leaders are going, and what they are planning next.