Could the atrocities in Bucha or Busova have been prevented? Perhaps. If only those western states, which never tire of emphasizing that they are not helpless in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine, had acted sooner. When well-documented war crimes are punished even if they don’t happen on the doorstep. And when nations do it, on which one depends.
Daraa, Aleppo, Homs, Ghouta, Idlib. Russia has been terrorizing Syrian civilians since 2015. But despite all the horrible images that people sent out into the world year after year as a warning and a cry for help, despite all the targeted Russian air strikes on Syrian hospitals, refugee camps, schools and marketplaces – as we see them in a similar form in Ukraine – there were no far-reaching sanctions against the Russian regime.
Putin has become accustomed to Western hesitancy. He got away with all the war crimes. For years he pushed the West ahead of him, working with the Turks and Iranians to create a post-war order for Syria. With a view to Syria, Europe hoped above all that no more refugees would come.
Yes, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine makes a difference under international law. In 2015, Putin responded to the invitation of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. His army simply marched into Ukraine, presenting itself as the savior of the separatists in Donbass. But war crimes are war crimes. Even if they don’t fit into the Western, especially German, policy towards Russia of “change through trade”.
Now, when it comes to EU-associated Ukraine, tough sanctions are being introduced. This is long overdue. For years, the grand coalition could not bring itself to do so. While CDU politicians like Norbert Röttgen called the reluctance in 2020 “a disgrace” and “against our own security interests”, the then Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) and the then Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) spoke out against new Russia sanctions .
And not only that: while Russia was committing war crimes in Syria, the two politicians even campaigned for the sanctions imposed on Moscow’s actions in Ukraine to be gradually lifted. Sanctions only had a short-term effect and would not contribute to de-escalation, it was said at the time.
The Syrians also dreamed of a democratic future
For Moscow, Syria was not only a permanent military training ground, but also proof that the West could not bring itself to react in any way worth mentioning, even in the case of blatant violations of the universal human rights that were often preached. Hundreds of thousands of people died, millions of people had to leave their homes because they worked for a free Syria. In view of all these crimes, how can it be that Putin is only now being brutal and unscrupulous in the eyes of far too many politicians when he declares war on a neighboring European country? The people of Syria also dreamed of a democratic future.
Bucha could have been prevented if Putin had been held accountable earlier. If only Putin had realized much earlier that his wars have consequences for him, for his country, for his supporters. He should have noticed that the West can react. If he wants to.
But Syria was never important enough to the West. Otherwise the realization should have grown long ago that making your own energy security dependent on a warlord is not such a good idea. What did Sigmar Gabriel say recently? “If you have a war on your doorstep, then it is clear that you cannot simply continue such an energy partnership.” Can that be the yardstick for decisive political action? It seems like this: only when the conflict is so close that you can’t look away, only when it could affect you, are you willing to make sacrifices.
Where are the red lines
This short-sighted politics of looking the other way and thinking away, the politics of regret and helpless appeals must be a thing of the past. The plight of Syrians has shown that “out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t work in politics. Western states should understand that red lines crossed elsewhere cannot go unanswered. And that no problem is far enough away to simply ignore. Politicians from Bucha or Busowa should learn this lesson. You owe it to the Ukrainian and Syrian victims of Russian aggression.