Arab Spring: Syria

Arab League Votes to Suspend Syria Over Crackdown

By: Neil MacFarquhar

Date Published: 12^th November 2011; Date Accessed: 13^th November 2011

Summary: The Arab League has suspended Syria from the League accusing President Assad of rejecting the agreement to stop the violent towards peaceful protesters in Syria. By doing this the League hopes to avoid a almost civil war like Libya had.  This suspension is to last for around four days, giving the last chance for President Bashar al-Assad to step down and stop the violent acts occurring in Syria; peace agreement. However by agreeing to the peace agreement, around ten thousands of political prisoners would be freed. Lastly, the League is still deciding weather they should take actions like Libya towards Syria to end the Arab Spring in Syria faster.  

Response: I think the Arab League has done the wrong thing by suspending Syria from the league. This is because the citizen of Syria really needs external help even though the government of President Assad has already stepped down, however the main ruler still controls the nation. Even though the Arab League has once failed to forced President Assad to stepped down, the League could have continue their effort instead of just suspending the country all together. By Syria being suspended does not do any harm to Assad's position. President Assad can still continue with what he has been doing; killing peaceful protesters and turning Syria into a bloody nation.  

Vocabulary:

            1. Unanimous

                   A.     “Throughout the meeting, the Syrian ambassador, Youssef Ahmed, kept shouting that the move was illegal because such a decision had to be unanimous, participants said.”

                   B.    Being of one mind: agreeing. Latin unanimous, form unus one + animus mind; first known use: 1624 (merriam-webster)   

C                 C.  The students in Global Issues class had to be unanimous before the due date of the project could be decided.  

                      2. Embattled

                          A.     “They all want to appear democratic, proactive and standing up for people because they are so embattled at home.”

B.      To arrange in order of battle: prepare for battle. Middle English embatailen, from Anglo-French embatailler, from en- + batailler to battle; first known use in 14^th century (merriam-webster)

C.     We all were ready to embattled for the English debate.

3. Buoyed

A. “But the uprisings appear to be rewriting that formula, with Qatar already buoyed by its success in pushing the envelope on Libya.”

B. To raise the spirits of; first known use in 1596 (Merriam-webster)

                        C. Mr.P already buoyed by his success in grading all the exam papers.