The White Helmets in the Global Public Sphere

This week's readings on the global public sphere, advocacy organizations, and the power of celebrities in the global public sphere often made me think of the recent news of the White Helmets working in Syria. The Syrian Civil Defense, now known commonly by their white helmets, have become the face of heroism in the Syrian war. In the last few years we have seen their image rise in the global public sphere and we are now seeing a governmental reaction to them from Syria and Russia. I have found this to potentially be a current example of the boomerang pattern mentioned in the Risse and Sikkink  article.

The White Helmets currently operate as a rescue force, rescuing Syrian citizens after air strikes. Photos taken during their rescue missions have become iconic of the disaster that has settled on Syrian citizens and have served as a call to action to citizens of Western states. The White Helmets have been very successful in reaching out to western governments t receive donations from the public and from foreign governments. In 2016 and 2017 they were front runners as nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize and in 2017 a short documentary about the the rescuers won an Oscar. The White Helmets are exemplary of the effect a presence in front of the global public can have for an organization working in the face of human rights violations and disaster. They have successfully reached beyond the boarders of Syria for aid from the public of other states and from from the states themselves.

Now, as Syrian forces are bearing down upon them and rescuers fear persecution, Israeli forces have been evacuating White Helmets out of Syria and into Jordan. As they leave, the Syrian an Russian governments are taking aim at the morality of their actions, attributing their work to terrorist organizations and as agents of "western powers." Of course, there is more to the story than can fit in a single blog post but it seems that the Syrian government has found the opportunity to try to defame this group, who, according to BBC,  has rescued more than 100,000 during the civil war, by associating them with terrorist groups and trying to invalidate their work. At this point, Western countries are still willing to welcome the White Helmets within their boarders as those who are able will head to Canada, Britain and Germany.

Wright, Robin "The White Helmets - Syria's Noble Rescuers - Have to be Rescued by Israel", The New Yorker, July 23, 2018, https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-white-helmets-syrias-noble-rescuers-have-to-be-rescued-by-israel.

Thomas Risse and Kathryn Sikkink, “The Socialization of International Human Rights Norms into Domestic Practices: Introduction,” in The Power of Human Rights International Norms and Domestic Change, ed. Risse, Sikkink, and Ropp (Cambridge, 1999).