The resilience of the people of Houla, Syria is absolutely and unequivocally inspirational. While the Syrian Foreign Ministry continues to deny that the deaths that have bloodied the streets of Houla within the last 14 months were caused by the Syrian government, the world watches on, ignoring the overwhelming amount of evidence provided by YouTube videos and news reports that all indubitably reveal the Syrian government's role in the death of its own people.
Short of the Russian and Chinese Ministers of Foreign Affairs, a global citizen who is not convinced that the Syrian government is behind the deaths of its own people is hard to find. The United Nations has not only acknowledged the truth behind the relationship between the murder of Syrians in Houla and the Syrian government, but has also condemned it.
So, the question is, why are we so slow to react?
In light of America's involvement in the Arab Spring -- in which America provided air support and weaponry without deploying any troops onto foreign soil -- it is certainly inappropriate to state that America must make a choice between deploying troops onto foreign soil and remaining indifferent.
As evidenced by his multilateral approach to foreign policy (think his approach to Iran and North Korea), President Obama has certainly been a careful student of history. It is for this reason that I do not suggest that the Commander-in-Chief make any radical military decisions regarding the American relationship with Syria. However, I certainly think that the United States can do far more than champion the issuance of a largely inconsequential U.N. resolution.
I am certainly no expert on foreign policy or diplomacy, but I believe that this issue can be treated with greater expediency. In early May, it was reported that the Obama administration had finally gathered its wits regarding the heinous crimes being committed in Syria. But until such plans prevent the death of innocent citizens, their provisions on paper mean nothing.
We need to act now. Fiscally, we cannot be the police force of the world, but the events occurring in Syria are beyond petty crimes. This an opportunity to show the international community that the United States is willing to put all aside in order to protect the most basic violations of human rights -- and that which is unalienable -- life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
And when that mission is accomplished, please save Sudan, Congo, and ... well, just every messed up country in the world.
Mr Obama, the Nobel Peace Prize has been given to. Don't you dare take care for your own people!
Sincerely, a deluded European citizen.
and wild GOP spending under Bush, and the stimulas to
fix those problems to some degree.....
too spread out with our military, and no money.....
best to get out of the Mid East mostly.....
The Soviet Union had had enough of trying to oppress after Poland in 1981.
Hosni was on the payroll.
Assad is different. He has powerful allies in Russia and China, who have little interest in seeing their sphere of influence reduced because the Arab Spring destablized autocratic governments. With Putin in power and the Communists. There is little we can do without provoking a wider conflict. And no one wants that! Ten years of war have sapped this country; it's time to nation build here at home.
Our approach to Syria has to be to isolate them both economically and diplomatically.
This young man sorely needs a serious dose of historical perspective and a reality check.