Should the UN impose sanctions on Syria if they don't cooperate in the investigation of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination?
Padrick Dennis and Matthew Godfrey
Issue date: 11/2/05 Section: Opinion
Yes, by Padrick Dennis
The United Nations Security Council is a diverse body representing different interests. While the United States and France have led a call for drafting sanctions against Syria, other members, such as Russia and China, have pledged to oppose such measures. It may be too early to fully determine Syria's role, if any, in the assassination of Rafik Hariri, but talk about possible sanctions is completely justified by the preliminary report issued by UN investigator Detlev Mehlis.
Despite early indications that Syria played a role in Hariri's assassination, the final report does not come out until Dec. 15. It may be prudent to wait until then to bring sanctions to a vote, but threatening them now is likely good for Syria. The threat of future sanctions should encourage Syria to cooperate with the UN investigation of Hariri's death. Just last week, Syria responded with anti-sanctions lobbying and the announcement of two new arrests in the case.
Though the arrests are probably credible, their timing is questionable. It seems as though Syria is attempting to thwart sanctions without improving cooperation with UN investigators. To be fair, the arrests could be indicative of a newfound spirit of cooperation, but I find that to be too quick of a turnaround. The UN investigator has repeatedly said that Syria failed to satisfactorily cooperate with his investigation, and such a rapid change in Syria's attitude toward the investigation is somewhat suspect.
In any case, Syria's new arrests points toward the need for sanctions. If the arrests are the beginning of Syrian cooperation, then threatening sanctions likely caused that change. If Syria takes threats of sanctions that seriously, then sanctions encourage desired behavior.
On the other hand, Syria's arrests may just be a stalling tactic used to avoid sanctions and bolster Russian and Chinese opposition to sanctions. If this is Syria's aim, then the UN should definitely push for sanctions and show that lack of cooperation is unacceptable.
The United Nations Security Council is a diverse body representing different interests. While the United States and France have led a call for drafting sanctions against Syria, other members, such as Russia and China, have pledged to oppose such measures. It may be too early to fully determine Syria's role, if any, in the assassination of Rafik Hariri, but talk about possible sanctions is completely justified by the preliminary report issued by UN investigator Detlev Mehlis.
Despite early indications that Syria played a role in Hariri's assassination, the final report does not come out until Dec. 15. It may be prudent to wait until then to bring sanctions to a vote, but threatening them now is likely good for Syria. The threat of future sanctions should encourage Syria to cooperate with the UN investigation of Hariri's death. Just last week, Syria responded with anti-sanctions lobbying and the announcement of two new arrests in the case.
Though the arrests are probably credible, their timing is questionable. It seems as though Syria is attempting to thwart sanctions without improving cooperation with UN investigators. To be fair, the arrests could be indicative of a newfound spirit of cooperation, but I find that to be too quick of a turnaround. The UN investigator has repeatedly said that Syria failed to satisfactorily cooperate with his investigation, and such a rapid change in Syria's attitude toward the investigation is somewhat suspect.
In any case, Syria's new arrests points toward the need for sanctions. If the arrests are the beginning of Syrian cooperation, then threatening sanctions likely caused that change. If Syria takes threats of sanctions that seriously, then sanctions encourage desired behavior.
On the other hand, Syria's arrests may just be a stalling tactic used to avoid sanctions and bolster Russian and Chinese opposition to sanctions. If this is Syria's aim, then the UN should definitely push for sanctions and show that lack of cooperation is unacceptable.