Western Inaction Rubs Salt into a Fresh Syrian Wound

Have we finally reached a tipping point?

The most recent government massacre of civilians in Houla, Syria, has been perhaps the most audacious yet, leaving 108 dead–including 49 children. Eyewitness accounts are heart wrenching. How long will this state-sponsored violence go on with little more than a rap across the knuckles of Syrian President Bashar al Assad?

Back in March, WUPR conducted a Skype interview with Syrian activists in Damascus. We asked them what the West could do, and their response was simple : “raise awareness…keep the diplomatic pressure on, but we do not want western troops in our country”. Their concern is well-founded, with the usual cloudiness over when Western intervention is justified. Regardless, the international community’s (as represented by the UN Security council) inability to present a united front and unequivocally condemn the government’s brutal assault is a hard pill to swallow.

It’s clear to anyone watching that the six-point peace plan of Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League Special Envoy, was flouted almost as soon as it was agreed upon. In response to the recent Houla massacre, Annan met personally with President al Assad on May 29th, with predictably little progress made.

Arab league monitors have come and gone. The violence has spread from a few specific flashpoints, such as Homs and Hama, to all over the country. The latest estimates suggest at least 10,000 civilians have been killed by the regime–this is surely an underestimation.

Russia, one of Syria’s only allies, has continued to hinder harsher action against the Syrian government by the UN Security Council. Russia’s reason for this inaction, that dissidents have been equally responsible for the slaughter of civilians, is shocking as it is untrue (of course, atrocities have been committed on both sides). Finally Syrian diplomats have been expelled from a number of Western states in protest, including the US and the UK.

Kofi Annan has called for ‘bold steps’ to prevent further bloodshed. So far, however, it has been too little, and invariably, too late.