Slaughterhouse, again

A never-ending story in the Middle East

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean— neither more nor less.”

“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”

“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”

—Alice in Wonderland

THAT OLD egg might be writing the dispatches out of Syria these days. The words and phrases used by some of these folks are so unbelievable as to be almost funny. Almost. For the death toll mounts each day, and humor is quickly pushed aside as the bodies pile up.

Get this one: Turkish troops advanced in a tank-heavy blitzkrieg just this week, deep into northwestern Syria. Modern armies don’t use many caissons these days, but if they did they’d be Turkish, and rolling along near Afrin, Syria, only adding to the misery in that nation. Already there are 6 million homeless Syrians and another 5 million who fled to other countries to avoid this civil war.

And what does Turkey call its invasion?

Operation Olive Branch.

Why, sure. And the next invasion can be called Operation Ceasefire. And the next slaughter of civilians can be called Operation Tranquility.

The Turkish government says it aims to create a “secure zone” in Afrin. Which will be anything but secure for those inside it. But to call it a buffer zone between Syria and Turkey would be too much like the truth for official reports. Besides, as long as the slaughter of innocents goes on unabated, why not slaughter the language, too?

As far as this country goes, we’re supposed to be supporters of the Kurds, as opposed to those in certain UN quarters who only pay lip service to those long-suffering people. (The UN Security Council convened Monday to talk about this very subject. It took no action.) Unfortunately, our secretary of state was heard from after the Turkish invasion, too. Rex Tillerson had more promise early in his tenure than any real success since his confirmation. Here’s another feeble statement to add to the books:

He said Turkey had legitimate security concerns about terrorists crossing its border with Syria, but Turkey should “just try to be precise, try to limit your operation, try to show some restraint.”

As if the president of Turkey, tough guy Recep Tayyip Erdogan, would show any more self-control or temperance in his own neighborhood than he did with protesters in Washington, D.C., last summer.

Turkey is a member of NATO and is supposed to be on our side. But the president of Turkey scoffed at Secretary Tillerson’s comments, and instead announced quite casually that he had reached an agreement with Russia over the invasion.

A spokesman for the Russian government says Vladimir Putin is “carefully watching the operation,” and we don’t doubt it one bit.

These days, Syria is being pulled apart by the regime in Damascus, Iran, Russia, Turkey, ISIS and whoever else wants a piece of the place. It’s a war that started as America was leading from behind. If it goes on too much longer, it’s going to be hard to put the place back together again. Not even all the king’s horses and all the king’s men . . . .

OF COURSE this story has an Arkansas connection. It seems everything does. Since the fall of 2016, a handful of Arkansans based out of Conway have worked with the Syrian Emergency Task Force to support a school and a women’s center in the Idlib province. Since Christmas Day the province has been under heavy fire from the al-Assad regime and his allies.

Among other things, the task force gives aid to staff members and families of their charges who are “displaced” by the bombings. Which is euphemism for fleeing for your life. Call these Arkansans agitators. That is, by the classic definition of the word: people who urge others to protest. Especially when innocent kids are being bombed out of their school. These people won’t be silent about it. As if they needed to bear witness.

(The folks in Conway have a website: thewisdomhouseproject.com, and donations may be made there.)

As the slaughterhouse that is Syria makes even worse news this week, we’re reminded of something another agitator once said. After another conflict that he was familiar with, up close and personal:

“Whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation, we must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

—Elie Wiesel