Losing reason in Damascus
Syria’s cup of woe seems to have run over. Despite the recent amnesty declared by Syrian president for political dissidents including the members of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation — banned in the country since their revolt against President Bashar Al Assad’s father, Hafez Al Assad in the eighties — and the release of several hundred political prisoners, the unrest only seems to be growing.
This is of course being attributed to the continued use of force being pursued by Damascus. With reports of fresh killings of protesters in the central city of Rastan, the number of those killed at the hands of the security forces only seems to be growing. The biggest contradiction is that for every released prisoner, several more are arrested.
Moreover, the Syrian government’s promise to launch an investigation into the death of the teenage boy Hamza al-Khatib — who has become a symbol for the Syrian uprising — for alleged torture and killing by the security forces is being dismissed by the anti-regime opposition. A preliminary query resulted in the Syrian authorities saying that Hama died as a result of bullets that were fired at demonstrators in Deraa in April.
Hamza’s death while tragic epitomises the degeneration of the Syrian crisis. Ironically, every death at the hands of the state at this point has only strengthened the resolve of the opposition to continue its efforts for the ouster of a regime that cannot be trusted. Rastan is a case in point. Despite the amnesty the government did not consider restraint, as a result of which more people lost their lives. The Syrian opposition groups that are represented by the Local Coordinating Committee have denounced the government offer saying it comes too late. Considering the widespread unrest and the growing anger towards the regime, it is likely too late for remedial measures.
At the same time, the credibility of the regime in delivering on its promises has plummeted to zero. The adoption of a dual policy entailing concessions and force has hardly gained the trust of people whose disappointment in the government has obviously crossed all limits.
The question is how long will this continue. Sooner or later Assad will face defections within his regime and loss of support among his security establishment. What could be worse is that he will have the blood of thousands on his hands once this bloody turmoil finally ends. Instead of plunging his country into a bigger ordeal than the one it is currently going through, it may be better for the Syrian ruler to put an immediate end to the use of force. By starting negotiations with the opposition and allowing political factions fair and free participation in the electoral process, much worse can be averted. Unless reason prevails and restraint exercised, things will only get worse.
The E.coli outbreak
Beware of toxins in your food. The discovery of a highly infectious new strain of E.coli bacteria in the farmlands of Europe is quite disturbing.
The very fact that the lethal micro-organism has killed at least 18 is worrisome. Though the European Union has been quick to take up the issue and restrict the supply and use of the contaminated vegetable, a lot more remains to be done.
Slapping of a ban on imports by Russia and many of the Scandinavian countries is merely a precautionary measure, and doesn’t address the issue in totality. What is feared is the fact that shady market forces may resort to dump the perishables in other countries, and many of the vulnerable African and Asian countries could be an easy target. This demands a consistent approach in, firstly, stemming the sneaking in of bacteria-laden green food to offshore destinations, and netting and eliminating the bacteria by seeking the help of bio-scientists on a war-footing basis.
The contamination threat has come close on the heels of the World Health Organisation’s report that a large number of countries face food shortages, and poverty is rising at a staggering rate. This vegetable conundrum is, however, quite different from the malaise that people faced in the form of mad cow, HN51 and milk contamination.
These bacteria in the greens possess the potential to impact other farm produces and could be a major source of deadly diseases that could only be discovered in due course of time, and might not be as instant as the cucumber casualty, according to scientists. This is why Russia and periphery countries of Europe who heavily bank on raw vegetables from the euro heartland are perturbed, and desperately looking for new avenues to retain food supplies. This has posed multiple challenges for the regional governments to keep a tab on restrictions and at the same time come out with a formula and a way-out to nip the bacteria in the bud.
This E.coli crisis has come at a time when Europe is mired in recessionary trend, and ailing economies are already resorting to protectionism measures. Yet, this is not a time to close the ranks. Firstly, the outbreak of disease is not contagious, which is promising. Secondly, the produce could easily be destroyed and the farmlands purged before the onset of next harvesting season. What is required is efforts put into place to eradicate it.
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