Syria: an international crisis

Military and diplomatic tensions over the Syria crisis have escalated following the suspected chemical attack in Douma on 7 April 2018, which led to targeted air strikes by the US, UK and France.

This podcast renews the focus on the legal and moral obligation of the international community to intervene in a crisis that is now estimated to have caused 450,000 deaths and displaced 12 million people.

Offering their views are:

• Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General 1997-2006 and former Special Envoy on the Syria crisis;
• Patricia O’Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel 2008-2013;
• Bernard Kouchner, French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs 2007-2010 and co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières; and
• José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission 2004-2014.

Issues discussed include the continuing paralysis of the UN Security Council, concerns across the Middle East, and the ongoing challenge of accepting refugees.