So far, Syria’s civil war has resulted in 100,000 lost lives in 28 months; 8,000 of those were children and women. This pegs the question that every Syrian must ask because the losses affect every family, every city, every ethnicity, every faith, and every ideology: Is Assad worth 100,000 lives? If not, what is his true worth? 200,000 lives? 1,000,000 lives?
There has to be a number that even the angriest of Syrians must come to terms with because with every life lost, on both sides, all of us lose equally.
Not only Syrians must ask this question, but also all the foreign powers involved directly in this war’s perpetuity. What is the cost/benefit analysis driving the Russian absolute support for Baschar al-Assad, one individual? His Kremlin’s net worth must have a ceiling even though I am highly skeptical the Kremlin”™s calculation is based on lives lost.
At what point will the Syriac Orthodox Church or the Muslim Brotherhood say Assad is worth more or not worth as much. At what point will the Alawites of Syria or the leadership in Iran understand that the return to the Syria of February 2011 is a mirage. At what point will the Saudis or the Qataris say Syrian lives lost is not worth the benefits derived from our interference.
Even the Obama administration, in supporting feebly the Syrian opposition, must ask itself this very question considering we heard officials from this administration admit, on several occasions, that Assad’s resilience took them by surprise, which makes you wonder about the assumptions used to calculate the timing of his demise.
In the wake of these lost Syrian lives, calculating the real future cost for Syria looks gloomy indeed. Even if you consider all the mixed marriages, the liberal-minded Syrians unfettered by race or religion to hold a grudge based on either, or the mothers who see children dying, not people glorifying death out of hate.
Syrians must detach themselves from what the world wants to see happen and reflect on what we want to happen to us, and the moment we start honestly calculating the cost of Baschar al-Assad to Syria will be the moment reconciliation and healing begin, even if we are powerless over his destiny.
All this tragedy to save the life of one person who could be replaced by another as protective of all Syrians but without the baggage.
Is Assad worth destroying Syria and Lebanon? Is Assad worth 100,000 lives?
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