THE WHOLE WORLD STARES BUT DOES NOTHING: SYRIAN REBELS CONDEMN THE WORLDWIDE LACK OF INITIATIVE

courtesy: csmonitor

A lot of ink has been spent detailing the Syrian civil war.  A lot of sympathy has been expressed and even more concern.

There have been a lot of debates, meetings, and even some military intervention in the form of posts and arms being moved near the Syrian border.

But what is needed after more than a year of bloody conflict, is the direct and firm intervention of the superpowers or a coalition of neighboring countries.

That, in the eyes of the opposition, is the onlly thing that stands between freedom and total annihilation.  In fact, even Russia, who stands nearly alone in supporting the Syrian dictator has recently spoken of an end-game conflict, one in which no one will be the victor, and one in which total destruction could be the only outcome.

Some tally put the number of deaths in Syria since the beginning of the civil war as high as 70,000.  Some say the numbers are even higher, since the total number may not be known until the conflict is over.  

The SNC, the opposition coalition, has issued a message in which it decries the lack of concrete involvement by any country, arab or non arab, super power or not in bringing the conflict to an end.  More distressful to the Syrian opposition is the lack of solid plan of action.  They contend that everyone just stands idly by while Syrians are being killed by the hundreds.

In truth, Syria is the latest of the "Arab Spring" countries to rise against its dictator, but to almost anyone who knew the decade long situation in the country, this conflict appeared frought with dangers not repeated in any of the other arab countries that have gone this way before.

What is also appalling to the opposition is the silence from foreign countries on recent attacks on the civialian population.  There is in their mind, not even an effort being made to loudly condemn these incidents.  

It's as if the world has not only failed to act, but is ready to look away in their eyes.  Indeed, there is less and less in the news about the conflict.  It is too bloody, too difficult, too impossible to fix.  So people do what they are wont to do in such cases, they tire of a situation that is seemingly without solution, and tune out whey they should voice their outrage at the continued massacre of innocent people. 

Although the blame is laid squarely at the feed of the Russian, for their unwavering support of the dictator both in words and in arms supply, the opposition are also angry at the fact that even after the incredibly high numbers of dead, many of them small children, the international community has failed to act decisively.

The Opposition are also boycotting a meeting which was due to be held in Rome in which a coalition of countries sympathetic to Syria would have met to find a solution.  They are also boycotting any other talk until a solid plan is presented to them that addresses the conflict and provides a resolution.

What they are asking if more involvement from foreign countries but also from the UN, forever the entity called into action in similar situation to reestablish peace.  The SNC would at least like to see the UN condemn the acts perpetrated on the civilian population. 

The SNC, in the meantime is pushing for the establishment of a rebel controlled area under a transitional government, and will name a prime minister on March during a meeting with  neighboring Turkey.

Partial sourcing: Al Jazeera

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