Nearly five months into the largely peaceful protests against the Assad regime in Syria, the UN finally got around to passing a “presidential statement” in which it said that the members of the Security Council, at least, strongly condemn many of the actions the regime has taken against its own people, including those that have caused the deaths of nearly 1,600 civilians. The statement, unfortunately, comes across as too little, too late, as the Assad forces are undertaking a massive campaign in the city of Hama, long a center of opposition to the Assad government in Syria. Although the statement may be better than nothing and does show a fairly united front by the world community against the action of the Syrian government, it's a far cry from the reaction of the world when Gaddaffi began his aggression against his own people. In spite of all it has done, the Syrian government still enjoys the support of the Russian government, which has long had strong political and business alliances with the country. Syria also happens to be the next-door neighbor and a strong ally of Iran. Military action from the outside might have untold consequences, inflaming the region far more than it already has. Although the Security Council called for specific actions on the part of Syria, it left the debate of sanctions open for a later date. It seems clear the that best weapon the world has against the atrocities taking place in Syria would be the levying of severe sanctions against the regime. The Russians would have to join in, as well, as they are the main foreign economic power operating within Syria. But for two months, Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa blocked any UN action, at all, and could also be blamed for the impunity with which Assad has acted. They must join in all sanctions brought to bear. The world cannot allow the slaughter in Syria to continue. __
