Why the world isn't intervening in Syria?

Share:

As the death toll grows in Syria, so do the desperate pleas for help.

“What is the world waiting for?” asked one Syrian woman this week while holed up in a makeshift bomb shelter with her sick son. “For us to die of hunger and fear?”

The United States, the European Union, the Arab League and Turkey are all enforcing sanctions against Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime, but the violence has only worsened in recent weeks. Government forces have pounded Homs and other anti-Assad strongholds, devastating homes and leaving many people dead or wounded.

That has only intensified the fierce debate over whether the international community should be doing more to stop the bloodshed. Many have mentioned arming the opposition or providing the same kind of air support that was given to Libyan rebels last year.

But there is a hesitancy right now to intervene militarily, and here are some of the major reasons why:

There is no international consensus.

This is the most obvious hurdle. Last year, the U.N. Security Council voted to impose a no-fly zone in Libya and use “all necessary measures” to protect its people from Moammar Gadhafi.

But the council is not unified on Syria. China and Russia, two Syrian allies, vetoed a resolution earlier this month that would have condemned the Syrian regime and provided legitimacy for a Libya-like intervention if necessary.

“The Chinese and Russians are dead set against (intervention),” said CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in a recent blog post. “So it couldn’t happen through the United Nations. There would be effectively a kind of unilateral or NATO operation with no international legitimacy.”

Nobody seems to want to go it alone on this one, at least not yet. But the idea isn’t without its supporters. A group of prominent U.S. conservatives, for example, recently called for the Obama administration to “take immediate action” despite the vetoes.

That could be the worst possible thing to do, according to Rami Khouri, who runs the international affairs program at the American University in Beirut.

“I think foreign military intervention would probably be catastrophic, and to hear Americans suggest this is to think back what they did in Iraq and what an extraordinary catastrophe that has been,” Khouri said on “Fareed Zakaria GPS.”

We don’t know the opposition well enough.

Many questions still surround the Syrian opposition. Who’s in charge? Are they unified? Are they strong enough to mount a serious challenge to al-Assad’s regime? Can they be trusted?

CNN

Share:

Comments

14 responses to “Why the world isn't intervening in Syria?”

  1. 5thDrawer Avatar

    “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” – Haile Selassie

  2.  Avatar

    “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” – Haile Selassie

  3.  The world is not intervening in Syria because they dont have petrol and the central bank is already owned by the international banking mafia so the only way  to make money is to sell both sides weapons and let the conflict go for as long as possible.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar

      “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who are hungry and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.” – Dwight Eisenhower

      1.  That was a ww2 speech. Look at what Dwight Eisenhower said on the day he was leaving the white house about the military industrial complex. actually ill just post it blow.

        This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large
        arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence –
        economic, political, even spiritual – is felt in every

        city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We
        recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not
        fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and
        livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
        In the councils of government, we must guard against the
        acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the
        military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of
        misplaced power exists and will persist.

        We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our
        liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted.
        Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing
        of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our
        peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper
        together.

        Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our
        industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution
        during recent decades.

        In this revolution, research has become central, it also becomes
        more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is
        conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

        Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been
        overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing
        fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically

        the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced
        a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge
        costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for
        intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now
        hundreds

        of new electronic computers.

        The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal
        employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present –
        and is gravely to be regarded.

        Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as
        we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that
        public policy could itself become the captive of a
        scientific-technological elite.

        It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate
        these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our
        democratic system – ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free
        society.

        Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of
        time. As we peer into society’s future, we – you and I, and our
        government – must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering
        for, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of
        tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren
        without asking the loss also of their

        political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all
        generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.

        Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows
        that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a
        community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud
        confederation of mutual trust and respect.

        Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come
        to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as
        we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table,
        though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the
        certain agony of the battlefield.

        Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing
        imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with
        arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so
        sharp and apparent I confess that I lay down my official
        responsibilities

        in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has
        witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war – as one who knows
        that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been
        so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years – I wish I could
        say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight.

        Happily, I can say that war has been avoided. Steady progress
        toward our ultimate goal has been made. But, so much remains to be done.
        As a private citizen, I shall never cease to do what little I can to
        help the world advance along that road.

        So – in this my last good night to you as your President – I
        thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public
        service in war and peace. I trust that in that service you find some
        things worthy; as for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to
        improve performance in the

        future.

        You and I – my fellow citizens – need to be strong in our faith
        that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice.
        May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble
        with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nations’ great goals.

        To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America’s prayerful and continuing aspiration:

        We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may
        have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied
        opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for
        freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have
        freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who
        are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the
        scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear
        from the earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come
        to live together in a peace

        guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love.

        Now, on Friday noon, I am to become a private citizen. I am proud to do so. I look forward to it.

        Thank you, and good night.

      2. 5thDrawer Avatar

        Happy you like Ike, Badass … 🙂  It is a great speech.
          And imagine … Steve Jobs hadn’t done his garage work by that time.
        Your ability to research that (and other ‘secrets’) in such a short time is one of the marvels of the age … and the work of MANY who put the factual histories ‘out there’ for ALL who wish to discover it. Although, in the ‘free world’ libraries have existed for aeons.
        Look for the facts … not only the theories or opinions … when you wish to make your own.

        1.  Im 33 years old I have been researching for about 12 years. I know that speech and many others because I read 2 or 3 books a month. Its not research when you know it. Libraries? History is controlled by people that write the books in your Libraries. I dont like Ike but Im pointing to the fact that to every speech you think makes your cause just I can find another with is totally against it. The facts are in your face and the theories are what you find in your libraries and news networks. Its not a conspiracy when the facts are all around you. I majored in political science for my B.S then I got a MBA and now Im working on my DBA (online though) and I read a lot about history mainly from multiple sources on each subject so I get the entire scope of things.

          When you agree the government had a part in 9-11, They lied about the wmd in Iraq to start a war and over 80% of Americans think JFK was killed by insiders then why is anything else so had to believe?

          Have you ever read or heard the speech that got JFK killed?
          He had signed a presidential order issuing 40 billion dollars in greenback notes. These are government notes not issued by the federal reserve and not loaned to the government with interest. He made this speech and ended up dead 2 months later.

          Speech below:

          The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society. And
          we are as a people, inherently and historically, opposed to secret
          societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings. We decided long
          ago, that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of
          pertinent facts far outweigh the dangers which are are cited to justify
          it.
          Even today, there is little value in opposing the thread of a closed
          society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is
          little value in assuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do
          not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning
          to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do
          not intend to permit to the extent that it’s in my control. And no
          official of my administration whether his rank is high or low, civilian
          or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to
          censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes, or to
          withhold from the press or the public the facts they deserve to know.

          For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy
          that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of
          influence, on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of
          elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by
          night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted
          vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit
          highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic,
          intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations. Its
          preparations are concealed, not published. It’s mistakes are buried, not
          headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is
          questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed.

          No President should fear public scrutiny of his program. For from
          that scrutiny comes understanding, and from that understanding comes
          support or opposition, and both are necessary. I’m not asking your
          newspapers to support an administration. But I am asking your help in
          the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people. For I
          have complete confidence in the response and dedication of our citizens
          whenever they are fully informed. I not only could not stifle
          controversy among your readers, I welcome it. This administration
          intends to be candid about its errors. For as a wise man once said, an
          error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. We intend
          to accept full responsibility for our errors. And we expect you to
          point them out when we miss them.

          Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country
          can succeed, and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian
          lawmaker, Solon, decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from
          controversy. That is why our press was protected by the First Amendment,
          the only business in America specifically protected by the
          Constitution, not primarily to amuse and to entertain, not to emphasis
          the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply give the public what it
          wants, but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and
          our opportunities, to indicate our crisis and our choices, to lead,
          mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion. This means
          greater coverage and analysis of international news, for it is no longer
          far away and foreign, but close at hand and local. It means greater
          attention to improve the understanding of the news as well as improve
          transmission. And it means finally that government at all levels must
          meet its obligation to provide you with the fullest possible information
          outside the narrowest limits of national security.

          And so it is to the printing press, to the recorder of man’s deeds,
          the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news, that we look for
          strength and assistance. Confident that with your help, man will be what
          he was born to be, free and independent.

        2. 5thDrawer Avatar

          Well then, you prove you’re a fast typist too.
          Have I said anything that did not agree with Ike or John? Don’t tell me libraries do not have research material. If anything, mankind is too prolific. They probably also have the theorist books you read … and the books of the theorist’s theories.
          Yet you are fast to assume no-one else here has read ‘so extensively’ on any particular subject, or experienced what is not written; and also fast to slight those who question your conclusions about life. Which may not be formulated yet at such a young age, I admit.
          Carry on, Mr Bad. (I don’t dare say Mr Ass … we’ll get another tome of wisdom. 😉

          By the way .. since you’re advertising it .. is your web-site like a pimping operation with you making money, or just plain free fun?  🙂

  4.  The world is not intervening in Syria because they dont have petrol and the central bank is already owned by the international banking mafia so the only way  to make money is to sell both sides weapons and let the conflict go for as long as possible.

    1.  Avatar

      “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who are hungry and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.” – Dwight Eisenhower

      1.  That was a ww2 speech. Look at what Dwight Eisenhower said on the day he was leaving the white house about the military industrial complex. actually ill just post it blow.

        This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large
        arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence –
        economic, political, even spiritual – is felt in every

        city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We
        recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not
        fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and
        livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
        In the councils of government, we must guard against the
        acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the
        military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of
        misplaced power exists and will persist.

        We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our
        liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted.
        Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing
        of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our
        peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper
        together.

        Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our
        industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution
        during recent decades.

        In this revolution, research has become central, it also becomes
        more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is
        conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

        Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been
        overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing
        fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically

        the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced
        a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge
        costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for
        intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now
        hundreds

        of new electronic computers.

        The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal
        employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present –
        and is gravely to be regarded.

        Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as
        we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that
        public policy could itself become the captive of a
        scientific-technological elite.

        It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate
        these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our
        democratic system – ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free
        society.

        Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of
        time. As we peer into society’s future, we – you and I, and our
        government – must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering
        for, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of
        tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren
        without asking the loss also of their

        political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all
        generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.

        Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows
        that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a
        community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud
        confederation of mutual trust and respect.

        Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come
        to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as
        we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table,
        though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the
        certain agony of the battlefield.

        Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing
        imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with
        arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so
        sharp and apparent I confess that I lay down my official
        responsibilities

        in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has
        witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war – as one who knows
        that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been
        so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years – I wish I could
        say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight.

        Happily, I can say that war has been avoided. Steady progress
        toward our ultimate goal has been made. But, so much remains to be done.
        As a private citizen, I shall never cease to do what little I can to
        help the world advance along that road.

        So – in this my last good night to you as your President – I
        thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public
        service in war and peace. I trust that in that service you find some
        things worthy; as for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to
        improve performance in the

        future.

        You and I – my fellow citizens – need to be strong in our faith
        that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice.
        May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble
        with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nations’ great goals.

        To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America’s prayerful and continuing aspiration:

        We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may
        have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied
        opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for
        freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have
        freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who
        are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the
        scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear
        from the earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come
        to live together in a peace

        guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love.

        Now, on Friday noon, I am to become a private citizen. I am proud to do so. I look forward to it.

        Thank you, and good night.

      2.  Avatar

        Happy you like Ike, Badass … 🙂  It is a great speech.
          And imagine … Steve Jobs hadn’t done his garage work by that time.
        Your ability to research that (and other ‘secrets’) in such a short time is one of the marvels of the age … and the work of MANY who put the factual histories ‘out there’ for ALL who wish to discover it. Although, in the ‘free world’ libraries have existed for aeons.
        Look for the facts … not only the theories or opinions.

        1.  Im 33 years old I have been researching for about 12 years. I know that speech and many others because I read 2 or 3 books a month. Its not research when you know it. Libraries? History is controlled by people that write the books in your Libraries. I dont like Ike but Im pointing to the fact that to every speech you think makes your cause just I can find another with is totally against it. The facts are in your face and the theories are what you find in your libraries and news networks. Its not a conspiracy when the facts are all around you. I majored in political science for my B.S then I got a MBA and now Im working on my DBA (online though) and I read a lot about history mainly from multiple sources on each subject so I get the entire scope of things.

          When you agree the government had a part in 9-11, They lied about the wmd in Iraq to start a war and over 80% of Americans think JFK was killed by insiders then why is anything else so had to believe?

          Have you ever read or heard the speech that got JFK killed?
          He had signed a presidential order issuing 40 billion dollars in greenback notes. These are government notes not issued by the federal reserve and not loaned to the government with interest. He made this speech and ended up dead 2 months later.

          Speech below:

          The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society. And
          we are as a people, inherently and historically, opposed to secret
          societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings. We decided long
          ago, that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of
          pertinent facts far outweigh the dangers which are are cited to justify
          it.
          Even today, there is little value in opposing the thread of a closed
          society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is
          little value in assuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do
          not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning
          to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do
          not intend to permit to the extent that it’s in my control. And no
          official of my administration whether his rank is high or low, civilian
          or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to
          censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes, or to
          withhold from the press or the public the facts they deserve to know.

          For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy
          that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of
          influence, on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of
          elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by
          night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted
          vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit
          highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic,
          intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations. Its
          preparations are concealed, not published. It’s mistakes are buried, not
          headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is
          questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed.

          No President should fear public scrutiny of his program. For from
          that scrutiny comes understanding, and from that understanding comes
          support or opposition, and both are necessary. I’m not asking your
          newspapers to support an administration. But I am asking your help in
          the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people. For I
          have complete confidence in the response and dedication of our citizens
          whenever they are fully informed. I not only could not stifle
          controversy among your readers, I welcome it. This administration
          intends to be candid about its errors. For as a wise man once said, an
          error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. We intend
          to accept full responsibility for our errors. And we expect you to
          point them out when we miss them.

          Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country
          can succeed, and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian
          lawmaker, Solon, decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from
          controversy. That is why our press was protected by the First Amendment,
          the only business in America specifically protected by the
          Constitution, not primarily to amuse and to entertain, not to emphasis
          the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply give the public what it
          wants, but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and
          our opportunities, to indicate our crisis and our choices, to lead,
          mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion. This means
          greater coverage and analysis of international news, for it is no longer
          far away and foreign, but close at hand and local. It means greater
          attention to improve the understanding of the news as well as improve
          transmission. And it means finally that government at all levels must
          meet its obligation to provide you with the fullest possible information
          outside the narrowest limits of national security.

          And so it is to the printing press, to the recorder of man’s deeds,
          the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news, that we look for
          strength and assistance. Confident that with your help, man will be what
          he was born to be, free and independent.

        2.  Avatar

          Well then, you prove you’re a fast typist too.
          Have I said anything that did not agree with Ike or John? Don’t tell me libraries do not have research material. They probably also have the theorist books you read … and the books of the theorist’s theories.
          Yet you are fast to assume no-one else here has read ‘so extensively’ on any particular subject, or experienced what is not written; and also fast to slight those who question your conclusions about life. Which may not be formulated yet at such a young age, I admit.
          Carry on, Mr Bad. (I don’t dare say Mr Ass … we’ll get another tome of wisdom. 😉

          By the way .. since you’re advertising it .. is your web-site like a pimping operation with you making money, or just plain free fun?  🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *