President Barack Obama sought congressional approval for military action against Syria, but a student activist group at Syracuse University is speaking out against U.S. intervention.

The Youth and Student chapter of Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition organizes anti-war and anti-racism demonstrations in the U.S. The national organization was founded shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The SU chapter, established in fall 2011, has been active on issues like police brutality, immigration rights, the prison system and now the potential war with Syria.

Michael Kowalchuk, an ANSWER Coalition organizer at SU, said in an email he feared a U.S. strike on Syria would not truly be for humanitarian ends.

Despite allegations that the Syrian government is violent and reprehensible, further intervention in the nation would only benefit a small minority of wealthy Americans, said Kowalchuk, a fifth year architecture and English dual major.

“As activists organizing in the United States, our primary concerns are to restrain the American ruling class and promote international solidarity with the Syrian people,” he also said. “While we do not view Assad’s presidency uncritically, we support the legitimate government of Syria in its fight against a U.S.-backed rebellion that has proven itself incapable of fighting for the aspirations of the Syrian people.”

Derek Ford, a graduate student in the School of Education and the coordinator for the SU ANSWER coalition, said in an email the coalition opposes “imperialist intervention in Syria.” He said this includes not only military intervention, but diplomatic and economic intervention — such as sanctions.

Ford said the U.S. has been intervening in Syria for about ten years, providing aid to unpopular rebel soldiers. In addition, the Syrian government has been gaining civilian support after enacting reforms in reaction to the conflict, he said.

“If you look at the (Syrian) constitution, there are a lot of reforms. The government began reversing its path to neoliberalism,” Ford said. “Food and housing subsidies have been restored, and the constitution guarantees the nationalization of key industries and services.”

Ford said he believes the U.S. government could be making excuses to go to war with Syria, citing the recent reports of chemical attacks in the country.

“In reality, it’s very unlikely that the government used chemical weapons. Last time weapons were used, the U.N. found that it was the rebels, and not the government who used the weapons,” Ford said in the email. He argued the government has the support of most of its people, so the recent chemical strikes were likely a “staged provocation to invite intervention” by the rebels.

The SU ANSWER Coalition plans to continue raising awareness to students of the ramifications of prolonged U.S.-Syrian conflict by handing out literature, talking with students, hanging banners on campus and holding monthly meetings.

Kowalchuk said he believes these actions moving forward can help start a conversation on campus and inform students of the situation in Syria.

Said Kowalchuk: “We want to create a dialogue on campus and in the community that says ‘War and racism are not inevitable.’”

Asmuckel@syr.edu

 

Published on September 4, 2013 at 1:20 am

Contact Andrew: asmuckel@syr.edu