Has America failed to learn the lessons of Afghanistan?

Last Thursday President Obama sent a request to congress to authorise $500 million to train and equip ‘moderate’ Syrian rebels.

The request is a significant development in US involvement in the Syrian civil war, which has already claimed an estimated 162,000 lives.
  

The funding request is part of the $1.5bn Regional Stabilisation initiative, established to provide assistance to Syria’s neighbours including Jordan and Iraq; where The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) last week claimed the establishment of a single Islamic state across territories in Jordan and Syria.

If approved, the funding will be a step closer to direct and public American intervention into the Syrian war. It has been reported that the CIA has been covertly training moderate rebels in Jordan, providing them with limited arms.

As yet however there is no detail given, regarding the targets of the training or the how the programme will work.

Undoubtedly the programme will face the same issues as those which have been encountered in the past. In Iraq and Afghanistan a lack of literacy among trainees became a barrier to the success of similar programmes, a problem especially prevalent in ‘training to train’ schemes

Crucially however, it is unclear how ‘moderate’ rebels will be selected and vetted to partake in the training. The wording is vague and the methods even more so. The CIA says it has been vetting those with whom they co-operate for a considerable length of time, however the methods and results of this process are yet to become apparent.

These arguments should be enough to second guess the chosen actions of the US government, however increasingly volatile and unpredictable situation in Syria has resulted in a separate wave of criticism against the proposed programme.

The Syrian opposition, in a moment of apparent internal political turmoil, fired its military council only to reinstate them shortly after. The actions, allegedly taken on the basis of corruption and a leadership struggle, cast further doubt over the reliability of those the US has chosen to support in the conflict.

History is not kind to American interventionism. In the 1980’s the US supported the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan, a decision for which it still receives criticism. The support provided is said to have influenced, and part-funded, Al Qaeda in the region. At the time, Pakistan’s head of state Benazir Bhutto, referring to Islamic extremism, told President George Bush Snr, "You are creating a Frankenstein."

However, in relation to Syria the concern about weapons falling into the wrong hands has apparently been disregarded a price worth paying. This is naive; the long lasting implications of stoking the fires of war are unpredictable and dangerous.

The situation in Syria in complex, volatile and carries huge significance both or the region and globally. The UN, in a number of diplomatic negotiations - most notably those led by Kofi Annan and Lakhdar Brahimi respectively, has failed. With no international mandate, America is once again going it alone to protect its own, but at what price for the rest?

Pioneers in Peacebuilding: Bayard Rustin

On the tails of President Barack Obama’s most recent executive order to ban workplace discrimination against transgender federal employees, it’s important to take a moment and reflect on the LGBT leaders who have paved the way for such remarkable developments in sexual equality. This month Conscience has decided to spotlight Bayard Rustin as our Pioneer in Peacebuilding.

Bayard Rustin is an oft-forgotten gay American icon. His brilliance is marked by his resolute bravery and openness at a time in American history when being different could, quite literally, have you killed. As a Quaker, a member of the Young Communist League, a conscientious objector jailed for refusing to fight in World War II and as an open homosexual who spent time in prison after being caught in a car with two other men, he was an undisputed radical. This long list of political incorrectness did not stop him from being the chief organizer of the March on Washington. He continually lent his voice and passion to the humanitarian causes that he believed in and vigorously championed until his death in 1987.

Within the EU and throughout states in the US, laws for LGBT equality are spreading. Equal marriage, adoption rights, hospital visitation and protection in the workplace are steadily growing. But with 76+ countries holding anti-homosexuality laws, it’s not glittery gay pride parade floats and ‘Orange Is The New Black’ everywhere.

In addressing his civil rights goals, Bayard implemented long-term political strategies within large-scale protesting. He was pragmatic, as well as charismatic, allowing him to evenly spread his influence. He did not limit himself to a corner of action. He simultaneously campaigned with small-scale lobbying groups such as The Fellowship of Reconciliation, all while publicly pushing FDR to reform anti-discrimination laws. His efficiency lay in his range and his efficacy relied on his boldness.

Calling the current state of LGBT rights in Russia ghastly would be an understatement. Presently, the Russian government has issued a branding of LGBT organisations, or organisations that have ever supported the LGBT cause, as foreign agents. This evolves into a bureaucratic crackdown on all of the surrounding forces that are necessary in surviving as a business or a person. Employers, landlords, and banks have the heat put up underneath them to drop, harass, and excommunicate anyone associated with LGBT activism. In conjunction with these laws is the horrifying rise of hate-based violence against anyone thought to be gay. What is equally appalling is the numbness that the Russian government has towards these travesties with President Putin refusing to publicly address these bloody realities.

Russia’s radical punks heard round the world-Pussy Riot-have been imprisoned, disbanded, and upon release assaulted for screaming their truth and living with Bayard-esque vigour. If Rustin were alive I believe that he would remind the women that a mob is not the end of the fight. Media attention is a necessary step that requires the utmost fortitude but it’s only the first. There are systematic approaches that whoever will be brave enough to address Russia’s inequalities must implement in order to find success.

Russian rebels must engage in the routine of campaigning, and engage in the patient work of changing policy. It’s a duller process that lacks the excitement of protesting but its effectiveness is unparalleled. After you’ve garnered the country’s attention with fire, the clear way forward is through political communication and persuasive lobbying. Mobilization and chanting must be coupled with phone calls to MPs, letter writing to Senators, and in the case of Russia, potential direct Western NGO or small-scale political support from a federal power.

Bayard’s organization of the March on Washington coupled with his list of demands for American legislation generated the Civil Rights Act. Change is not a song, an anthem, or a march. Change is a journey that requires sensibility as much as it requires a charismatic cultural reference. The road map to long-term change needs to be taken slowly and thoroughly with blazes of fireworks enlightening the journey.