Monday, February 6, 2012

Assad must go..but how, when, with what push?

Now that Syria's leader sees the UN cannot agree to a resolution calling for
  1. President Assad to step down,
  2. for increased sanctions against the Assad government
  3. for a cessation of the violence against the people of Syria...
because both China and Russia have vetoed the resolution, although it was framed to get their votes, the violece in Syria has increased today.
President Assad is literally, and figuratively thmbing his nose at the world community, and Russia's explanation for not either abstaining or voting for the resolution is that the UN would be interfering in what is essentially an internal matter.Reports this morning indicate that the Russian Foreign Minister will meet this week with President Assad, and try to bring an end to the armed conflict.
That may make good press release copy for Russia as it attempts to save face and salvage some of her reputation in the Middle East; however, will millions of dollars in arms sales flowing from Moscow to Damascus, and the money of course flowing the other way, from Damascus to Moscow, Russia has very little, in any, interest in seeing an end to this conflict,
President Obama today announced that he was pulling all American personnel out of the U.S. Embassy in Syria because of the fear that the Americans are no longer safe in that country. Presumably, the move is also calculated as one more in the direction of breaking diplomatic ties with the government of Syria.
The rebels are continuing their fight for freedom but apparently are not strong enough, by themselves, to push Assad out of the country.
So, what will it take to remove Assad?
That is a question plaguing the international community, while hundreds, if not thousands, continue to die, to suffer gunshot wounds and other equally heinous crimes against humanity, this time the people of Syria.
Can charges not be brought by the International Court in the Hague against Assad?
Can the interntional community not find adequate levers to bring this man to justice?
Would the International Court not have more clout if the U.S. were to become a signatory to her existence, and thereby enhance the heft and credibility of the court in matters like this?
Everyone, including the Russians and the Chinese know that Assad must go. Yet, here is one more example of a situation so tangled and complicated that the international community appears unable, unwilling and perhaps too frightened to act....

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