The Question Of The West To Have The Right To Intervene In Foreign Conflicts
US and UK take our situation for granted. the worst most of us face is the weather. Unfortunately, for many people in countries such as Syria this is not the case. They risk their lives every day just to be able to get to school. They have to wake up to the worry of their homes being obliterated by mortars. Death and dead bodies surround them. Why should we - the west - allow this to happen? Should the west have the right to intervene in foreign conflicts?
The first reason why the west should be able to intervene in foreign conflict is to free civilians from the grip their corrupt governments have on them. Here is the UK, we don’t have to worry about our government starting a civil war that could lead to millions of its own civilians killed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many eastern countries which suffer at the hand of harsh and unfair regimes. The very thing that is supposed to provide them with a sense of security and safety is actually the thing that they need protection from. Western powers may be able to provide the protection that these fragile countries require to survive. Places such as Syria are involved in civil wars which have done nothing but create devastation. The civilians did not ask to be part of it but they are having to deal with the costs of it. During these civil wars countless lives have been lost. a United nations official has stated that over 400,000 have died due to the conflict in Syria, although some of the deaths are ISIS combatants and government soldiers, this amount of death is horrifying. Not only have people lost their lives, but many people lives have been ruined. Many people will have to live with the trauma they have experienced for the rest of their lives, many people have been left homeless due to the bombs that go off every day and many children have seen things that no one should ever see such as death and chemical attacks. According to the US, the Syrian regime ran by President Assad, dropped barrel bombs full of chemicals from helicopters on a hospital with more than 500 patients. “numerous eye witnesses corroborate that barrel bombs were dropped out of helicopters.” Photos of barrel bombs dropped on the hospital closely match the ones that the regime have previously used. Almost all of the patients were found to have been exposed to a chemical agent. This goes to show that the governments biggest concern certainly isn't their own people. This surely should be enough of a reason for the west to properly intervene. The western military power and war strengthened tactics surely should be enough for them to overthrow the corrupt government for the benefit of the citizens of that country.
Another reason why the west should have the right to intervene is that they are capable of educating the locals on how to survive in the war. The United Nations is an organisation that strives for world peace. They have many treaties in place to combat against atrocities such as torture, hijacking and nuclear terrorism. Most importantly the UN actually step foot into war zones and war-torn countries in order to provide support for the locals who were dragged into a conflict that they did not want in countries such as Afghanistan, Columbia, Libya and the Sudan. Within these countries the UN clears land mines and destroys weapon stockpiles in aid of civilians. The UN is also one of the main organisations currently combating terrorism all over the world. Without the support of the UN many locals in war zones would not be able to survive their situation since the UN also teaches them how to fend for themselves and how to stay out of harm's way during the fighting. Since the UN is mostly made up of western countries, they would not be allowed to intervene which would cut off a vital source of protection for vulnerable people and countries which would result in a mass loss of innocent lives, who are unfortunately dragged into these brutal conflicts against their will.
Finally, the west should be able to intervene in foreign countries in order to protect their own people. In the east, there are many growing terrorist cells who are plotting against the western world because of our views and political beliefs. They try to radicalise our own people and try to turn them against us and get them to commit heinous acts of violence against the innocent people of the west. They do this in order to weaken the west so they can potentially take over. On the 25th of may 2017 a young man known as Salman Ramadan Abedi decided to go to a concert hosted by the singer, Ariana Grande, and detonate a suicide bomb which took the lives of 22 innocent men, women and children. The reason he decided to do this was because of his extremist thoughts and his radicalisation by a terror group affiliated with Al-Quaeda. Innocent men, women and children lost their lives due to these extremist terrorist cells in the east radicalising people in our country and making them commit acts of terrorism against the people of our country. When it is a matter of protecting our own people then we surely should be able to give them the protection they deserve and end these terrorist cells reign of terror once and for all. Manchester isn’t the only time a person has committed unspeakable acts of terror due to being radicalised or being a member of these sickening groups. Another example of attacks on the west are the 9/11 attacks on New York City which left 2,977 people dead. Also, the 2005 London bombings where terrorists planted bombs on London transport services which resulted in the deaths of 52 people. It is bad when these attacks happen away from home. But when they attack us directly then that surely calls for action against these people.
On the other hand, people believe that the west shouldn’t have the right to intervene in foreign conflicts due to the damage that we cause when we do intervene. In an airstrike mission lead by the US coalition over the city of Raqqa, Syria 77 civilians were killed by US dropped bombs. This shows how not always the bombs hit their intended target and civilians may be caught in the crossfire. People believe that if the west is contributing to the civilian death toll then why should they be fighting another countries war? In total roughly 3,300 civilians have been killed in the attacks lead by the US lead airstrikes targeting Islamic State Fighters. This Again goes to show the US’s contribution to the civilian casualties. 3,300 compared to the over 400,000 people killed over the course of the civil war is miniscule. This 400,000 people include the people tortured to death by ISIS, the people who are bombed in their own home by government and ISIS mortar teams, the children and parents who are gunned down in the streets by the enemy and every innocent person who has been caught in the cross fire. Also, how can the western governments be expected to stand by while people of their country are being radicalised and coerced into commit terrible acts of violence against the innocent people of our countries.
In conclusion I believe that the west should have the right to intervene in foreign conflicts in order to protect their own citizens, but also to protect the innocent people of the foreign countries from the atrocities being committed there. Every innocent human being has the right to be protected from a corrupt government whether it be here or 4,000 miles away.
