When it comes to Syria, the silence and lack of leadership in Washington has been stunning.
Tonight there is word that the White House has finally decided to call explicitly for Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to step down amid broadening pressure to stop the bloodshed. The question is when. Some say as early as tomorrow, others late next week.
Today emerging powers India, Brazil and South Africa said in a joint statement they urged Syria’s regime to show restraint and respect for human rights at a meeting in Damascus with Assad. The countries “called for an immediate end to all violence and urged all sides to act with utmost restraint and respect for human rights and international human rights law,” the statement said.
The United States trepidation over Syria has been strange at best. Five months into the uprising, unconfirmed reports suggest that as many as 2,000 people have been killed with as many as 20,000 arrested. The countrywide crackdown is massive, with the Assad regime using tanks and sniper fire to crush the opposition movement.
Today emerging powers India, Brazil and South Africa said in a joint statement they urged Syria’s regime to show restraint and respect for human rights at a meeting in Damascus with Assad. The countries “called for an immediate end to all violence and urged all sides to act with utmost restraint and respect for human rights and international human rights law,” the statement said.
The United States trepidation over Syria has been strange at best. Five months into the uprising, unconfirmed reports suggest that as many as 2,000 people have been killed with as many as 20,000 arrested. The countrywide crackdown is massive, with the Assad regime using tanks and sniper fire to crush the opposition movement.
The case for intervention in Libya was made based on humanitarian needs, the situation in Syria cries out for American leadership on humanatarian grounds and much more. In Egypt, America cast an ally aside and stood with the people even though a strong case could be made that toppling the Mubarak regime was not in America's interest. In Syria, the case for intervention on humanitarian grounds is already manifest and toppling the Assad regime, which remains an enemy of the U.S. in both word and deed, is strongly in America's interest.
It is good to hear that the administration has finally come around. Now do something!
