SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR; Congressional Record Vol. 164, No. 52

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SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR

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HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

of indiana

in the house of representatives

Monday, March 26, 2018

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, we recently marked the passage of seven

years since peaceful protests against the ineffective, cruel, and

undemocratic regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were escalated

by President Assad into a brutal civil war. It has cost hundreds of

thousands of lives, displaced 6.1 million people inside Syria, caused

another 5.4 million Syrians to flee to nearby countries, and left

nearly 3 million people in besieged areas. Assad has gassed his own

people, and dropped barrel bombs on his own cities. Assad's actions set

the conditions for ISIS to metastasize into Syria, prosper, and spread

terror and chaos in the region. He and his closest friends on the

international stage, President Putin of Russia and the leadership of

Iran, demonstrate no regard for the safety or wellbeing of the Syrian

people.

The continuation of this war into its eighth year is a tragedy. The

United States is right to stand in opposition to Assad's brutality and

against the countless non-state groups that have seized on the chaos to

pursue their own agendas, many of which are apocalyptic and dangerous

to our national security.

Consistent with our national interest, we must do everything in our

power to bring this conflict to a halt and prevent Syria, its

ungoverned spaces, and the refugee camps on the territory of Syria's

neighbors from becoming a breeding ground for the next generation of

radical terrorists. This effort requires continued efforts by the

military and our intelligence services, but also demands muscular

diplomacy to find a lasting political solution and robust foreign aid

to provide a generation of Syrians with opportunities other than

picking up a rifle.

Until a lasting solution is found I believe our country needs to do

so much more to relieve the suffering of those injured and displaced.

We are an immigrant nation of 330 million, and yet from Fiscal Year

2011 to the end of February this year, we permitted less than 22,000

refugees from Syria to enter the United States. This is a failure to

act compassionately, and I fear that history will judge America harshly

for its tepid response to the torment and suffering of untold souls.

I encourage my colleagues and the Administration to not lose sight of

the ongoing violence perpetrated by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

and his allies and to redouble our efforts to bring this horrific

humanitarian crisis to a close.

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