Chemical weapons are nothing new
Jason Godfrey
Recently, a crackdown on Syria for allegedly using chemical weapons has been the spotlight issue on the international stage.
This is not the first time the U.S. has pushed for military action for breaches in this international law.
This most recent chemical weapons discussion is almost an exact replica of the past.
The accusation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) has often been used in the formulation of any foreign intervention or attack.
The American public was told the same thing after 9/11 concerning a U.S. invasion of Iraq by General Colon Powell at the United Nations.
There were never any nuclear weapons in Iraq, which General Powell later admitted.
The U.S did not care about Saddam Hussein using chemical weapons then, because it was beneficial on a geopolitical level. This was because Saddam was using them against the Iranians.
“I feel like it’s not our duty to decide what is right for other countries to do,” Ryan Heilman said, an MCC student.
He went on to add that in his opinion, the use of chemical weapons is immoral and inhumane.
Another instance of the U.S turning the other way when chemical weapons were used was when Israel used white phosphorus against hundreds of Palestinians.
They fired white phosphorus over crowded areas of Gaza repeatedly and indiscriminately in its three-week war, killing and injuring civilians and committing war crimes.
“Israel cannot complain too loudly (about Syrian chemical weapons) because they used white phosphorus on the Palestinians,” said Brian Dille a professor of Political Science at Mesa Community College.
Dille went on to explain that he feels rather uncomfortable with the amount of influence Israel has on U.S. foreign policy.
International law regarding chemical weapons seems to have become a tool for larger, more powerful nations, to impose strict restrictions upon smaller nations for geopolitical reasons.
“Big countries are able to use international law to their end, while little countries are not able to,” Dille said.
Most Americans are unaware that the entire world has become a battlefield.
