U.S. and Russia Unlikely Allies

Russian airstrikes in Syria undertaken as of October 20, 2015 according to the Institute for the Study of War. (Source: The Washington Post)

NEWS ANALYSIS

By Jason Schroeder

Lowell, MA-The sky may as well be falling in Syria.  

Bombs raining down like hail.  Whole families hiding under mattresses to shield themselves from airstrikes. Bombs falling on fleeing residents and refugees.

Meanwhile, bombs also fall on the American-supported rebels tasked with opposing the terrorist group ISIS and removing President Al Assad.

Among all this bombing, the American and Russian pilots find themselves in close proximity with each other.  Russian and U.S  forces awkward Allies in a fight against ISIS.  

Yet, the two powers disagree about the future of the Al Assad regime of Syria.  President Vladimir Putin supports Al Assad and sets up a military installation to support his Russian air force and ground troops.

President Barak Obama continues to support a rebel force tasked with opposing ISIS, a terrorist group with strong gains in Syria and Iraq, and also Al Assad’s regime.

Within the rebel mix, reportedly, there are Al-Qaeda, Syrian opposition rebels and likely American covert advisers.  How strange for the United States to be in an informal alliance with Al-Qaeda operatives.

It seems the 4 ½ year long Civil War has the potential to become a proxy war between the U.S and Russia.  Possibly even reigniting the Cold War or starting a Third World War.

Yet, Lieutenant Colonel Peter D’amico, Director of the Air Force ROTC program at LHS, considers a conflict between the U.S. and Russia unlikely.

“…I would think the people in charge would be able to maintain cool heads and find a diplomatic solution,” D’amico said.

Communication between the leadership is crucial in this situation, according to D’amico.

The Russian and American pilots who fly these bombing runs are wary of each other.  Mindful of a tenuous situation,  one wonders who might misfire, all the while dropping bombs on their targets below.

D’amico has dealt with International issues in the past as a U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, a country that faces difficulty in a civil war in which Russia is supporting opposition rebels.

Still, the possibility of a scuffle between the aircraft in Syria weighs on people’s minds.

 “An aerial engagement would be a sign of war,” said D’Amico about the seriousness of such an outcome. 

Whoever is elected President in 2016, will have difficult foreign policy situations between Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and also Iran, which recently signed an agreement promising not to obtain a nuclear bomb.

“The President needs a strategy for dealing with these things.“ D’amico said about the current foreign policy situation.

One of the major issues of the Syrian Civil War is that a lot of families are being displaced.

In a CNN report on the Syrian Civil War, pictures can be seen of families hiding under mattresses from airstrikes, seeking shelter from falling debris.

Soon the cold months will come and winter will begin, due to a lack of winter clothing a lot of Syrians may die.

As a result large groups of refugees are fleeing Syria to Europe.

In Germany the refugees initially received a warm welcome.  Still a host of problems have resulted from the sudden arrival of thousands.  

Some countries such as Hungary and Finland have been less hospitable to the newcomers.  Hungary has built a fence and sent many on toward Germany. 

A group of protesters attacked a bus of refugees with rocks and fireworks in southern Finland. Other less aggressive protesters, formed a human wall on the border between Sweden and Finland.

“I think the United States has an obligation to take in its share of refugees but the rest of the world does as well,” D’amico said.

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Syrians Seeking A Future

By Hailey Tran

Lowell, MA – For decades, this City has been a tapestry of multicultural respite for refugees and immigrants fleeing war, persecution and economic distress.  

It’s no surprise there is talk of refugees from Syria soon to become a part of the community’s ethnic fabric.  

Communities are opening up their arms to those in need and refuge. Mayors of the immigration Action Coalition have been reported saying “We will welcome the Syrian families to make homes and new lives in our cities. The United States is in a position to lead a global narrative of inclusion and support.”
Syrians fleeing to Europe from civil war in the Middle East don’t want to live in refugee camps, according to recent news reports.

Word has spread about the poor conditions in the camps and the families seek a better life.  

Eastern European countries, overrun by the droves of refugees, offer no choice. Hungary recently built a wall to fortify their border against refugees.

Syrian, refugees currently within the Hungarian border, resist efforts by the police move them into temporary camps.

The Syrian families hope to continue on to Germany whose president, Angela Merkel, recently promised a place for them.

While the families are desperately grasping at a normal life, the United Nations has asked other countries to bear part of the burden as well.

America has stepped in to become the “beacon of hope and land of second chances,” said Kerry, recently in front of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a news conference, according to the Huffington Post.

Meanwhile, resettlement agencies, organizations which help refugees and immigrants resettle, prepare for the influx which is sure to come.

One local type of agency, International Institute of Lowell,  expects a number of Syrian families to resettle in Lowell in the coming months.

12 million Syrians have been displaced from their homes and more than half of these are moving all over Europe.

It’s no surprise that the United States of America is stepping in to lessen the burden.

America accepts hundreds of thousands of refugees every year.  As a result of the ongoing Syrian civil war approximately 70,000 more than usual will be entering our country, .  

In fact, 10,000 more people entering will be Syrian, according to The White House, reported from CNN.

Immigration in our country is trying to be very flexible with the situation at hand while keeping it safe, according to Secretary of State Kerry.

According to our staff, the LHS community is very supportive and welcoming of those who choose to take refuge here in our city.

Rumors of their arrival have already been flying around and much of the responses include positive feedback.

“I believe the Syrians coming to our school is a wonderful opportunity to interact among a diverse body of students,” said Model UN advisor Amanda Ernst.

Not only are our staff anticipating the Syrians arrival, students are too.

“I do believe they will become a part of our community with no complications at all. They are human like the rest of us and deserve the same treatment we receive, ” said Mya Stafford, a LHS sophomore, about the new students. “I will gladly converse and interact with them when I come across one of our new students.”

Lowell, a city historically welcoming to newcomers, appears to again be ready as refuge and home to another group of newcomers.