ISIS at Kobane: Do you remember Rwanda, Vukovar and Srebrenica?

by Vasilis Giavris - Lawyer & Political Scientist

The Syrian town of Kobane on the Turkish border is under siege by the forces of ISIS. Its population is predominantly Syrian Kurdish and more than 200,000 of the city’s inhabitants have fled to escape the imminent massacre. Remaining behind are a small number of ill equipped Kurdish fighters, a high percentage of which are heroic female fighters, determined to resist oppression and defend the city and the last of its remaining inhabitants.

Approximately 700 elderly and ill remain in the town and 10,000 to 13,000 people are reportedly trapped within the wider area. Despite such heroic efforts the fall of the town to ISIS now seems more likely as the latest reports have ISIS controlling more than 40% of the town. The fall will most certainly result in more than 10,000 people being massacred and such abhorrent action paraded on YouTube and replayed in other media outlets.   

Yet the international community continues to watch, in real time and from the comfort of its lounge rooms and mega sized TV’s, the tragedy unfold. Whilst the US has intensified its military air strikes this not enough. Boots are required on the ground but these are not likely to come. 

Only a few days ago the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, suggested that preventing the fall of Kobane was not a strategic US objective. “As horrific as it is to watch in real time what is happening in Kobane, you have to step back and understand the strategic objective,” he said and in one sentence the value of human life was summed up – it is not a strategic US objective to prevent a massacre..! 

Literally only few hundred metres away on a hill Turkish entrepreneurs are selling food to hungry Turkish citizens that have packed their picnic rugs and are watching the drama unfold from prime position.

The U.N special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura has specifically appealed to Turkey to intervene or at the very least to allow weapons and Turkish Kurds to cross into the Kurdish-populated town. Despite having more than 15 million citizens of Kurdish decent pleading with the Turkish government to permit Turkish Kurds to go to Kobane and help their compatriots Turkey insists to remain passive and to prevent Turkish Kurds from crossing the border.

It seems that Turkey’s chief priority is to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria. In doing so it seems to favour ISIS and has been accused of turning a blind eye to their smuggling of arms, recruits and supplies from Turkey into Syria.

Staffan de Mistura has appealed for the international community to immediately intervene and prevent a massacre reminding them of the massacres in Rwanda, Srebrenica and Vukovar. “You remember Srebrenica? We do. . . . And probably we never forgave ourselves for that,” he said. “You remember Vukovar? You remember Rwanda?” he aked, recalling other recent genocides where the international community chose not to intervene preferring to watch idle as these massacres unfolded.

The answer to such questions is simple - most people and governments wish to conveniently not remember. After all it is not deemed a “strategic objective” to prevent genocide. We have more serious issues to concerns ourselves with – Miley Cyrus is in town..