The situation is truly ironic. Pretty much ever since coming to power, Trump has given states the impression that it’s okay not to play by international rules. | OPINION
In the last couple of years, the US has launched its own unilateral, unauthorised attacks in Syria , unilaterally imposed sanctions on Iran, and threatened to launch a unilateral armed intervention in Iran, all with complete disregard for international law. For the most part these violations haven’t raised any eyebrows , presumably emboldening Trump and others to carry on doing what they deem to be in their national interests without caring much about the law.
So why should Turkey play by the rules? The problem with thumbing your nose at the rules-based international legal order is that it can prompt others to do the same, and it’s much harder to complain when they do.There’s little question that sanctions against Turkey are warranted. Turkey claims it’s acting in self-defence by invading northern Syria, but that’s a stretch.
Given that the Security Council has failed to agree even on a statement disapproving of Turkey’s intervention, it’s unlikely to agree on anything as drastic as sanctions – Russia would likely veto any proposed resolution. So the next step for concerned states should be to raise the issue at the UN General Assembly. The General Assembly could call upon states to implement sanctions if the Security Council won’t.
Smoke rising over the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain as Turkey presses on with its military campaign in Syrian territory.The General Assembly could also call upon Turkey to scrupulously adhere to the rules of international humanitarian law – the fact that Turkey breached international law by invading northern Syria doesn’t mean it shouldn’t abide by the laws of war once there.
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