(New York Times) Editorial - Since the largely peaceful revolt against Bashar Assad's regime began last March, Syrian security forces have killed nearly 6,000 protesters and the toll is rising. Yet the UN Security Council is paralyzed, unable to condemn Assad, much less impose the international economic sanctions that might force him to end the killing or leave power. Russia, supported by China and India, is still defending Assad and blocking constructive action. Invoking Libya, they insist that they will not abide foreign military intervention in Syria or let a resolution be exploited to permit the use of force. Since Secretary of State Clinton has stipulated publicly that there is no intention to pursue military intervention, it should be relatively easy to write a resolution to rule out military action, assuming Russia is not playing games.
2012-02-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive