Intervention in Syria? Better Not Think First.
Undoubtedly, Russia and China would also block UN authorization of such an intervention while the geographical scope of the country would make Syria far more dangerous than Libya. The complex demographics, on the other hand, would make a post-Assad Syria better resemble a post-Saddam Iraq than a post-Qaddafi Libya. Yet the discussion continues.
More on Russia’s Syrian Stance
There are a number of very understandable reasons why Russia refused to agree to the UN resolution. Yet, the most interesting argument being made is that Russia is rejecting the international consensus on Syria because of how the intervention in Libya evolved into a regime change operation.
“1980s Lebanon on Steroids”
At least that is what Marc Lynch imagines Syria could become now that the Chinese and Russian UN vetoes have all but eliminated the peaceful transition option. While the resolution explicitly ruled out military intervention (due to fears of another Libya-esque regime change operation) the Russian and China vetoes, according to Lynch, are likely to … Read more
R2P R.I.P.
A couple weeks back I wrote a piece for the Foreign Policy journal issuing an eulogy for the Obama style application of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), that is a multilateral application. After what was arguably one of the most successful humanitarian interventions, in Libya, western efforts to increase pressure on Syria were shot down … Read more
Obama Won’t Intervene in Syria, Iran
Without UN backing, the Obama administration backed down regarding Syria and — as Scoblete says, ‘absent some dramatic event’ — it is likely that the US president will do the same when it comes to attacking Iran.
Guest Post: No Partner for Peace…Again?!
Lately, two opinion articles in Haaretz have focused on Mahmoud Abbas‘ role in the so-called “peace process,” both depicting him as a notorious naysayer but with different additives. On the one hand, we have Israel Harel, blatantly espousing his negation of international law as usual (one must only remember the cheeky article he wrote in … Read more
Syrians Should Blame Libya
So in the wake of the failed UNSC resolution condemning the violence in Syria, the Russian foreign ministry (Russia, along with China, vetoed the resolution) issued a statement explaining why they utilized the veto: Our wording proposals on the inadmissibility of external military intervention are not taken into account. And that, in view of the … Read more
Syria’s Civil War?
The Syrian episode of the Arab Spring seems to be stagnating in a horribly violent phase. The majority of protesters have remained true to non-violence, only to see continued repression and killing by the Assad regime (somewhere around 2,700 killed.) Some have turned to violent revolution based on the Libyan experience, though this number is reportedly in the minority. Internationally, western countries have tried and failed to pass a watered-down resolution at the United Nations, leading many to contemplate the possibility of establishing a no-fly zone over Syria.
Quartet’s New “Peace Initiative”
It is not surprising reading the news, after the Palestinian Authority’s bid at the United Nations, that the Quartet came out with a “new idea.” It is a nice mixture of the “same old garbage” with a tint of “we need to keep ourselves relevant.” The Quartet is this ad-hoc organization of the United States, … Read more
Reactions to Netanyahu and Abbas
I returned home today (I know, I missed Abbas and Netanyahu speak – I’ll get on that) to an email from the Institute for Middle East Understanding offering the following reactions to the speeches, Enjoy: Diana Buttu, former PLO legal advisor and negotiator, current Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s … Read more
Chris Keeler
Chris Whitman
