A United Nations Security Council resolution meant to remove President Bashar al-Assad from power and begin a political transition failed Saturday due to vetoes from Russia and China.
As violence escalates in Syria, rights groups say that up to 321 Syrians have been killed this weekend in the city of Homs due to shelling by the Assad government. The U.S. has been pushing to intervene and take Assad from power, and UN Ambassador Susan Rice used the recent killings to criticize the veto from Russia and China.
“The United States is disgusted that a couple of members of this Council continue to prevent us from fulfilling our sole purpose,” US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said. “For months this council has been held hostage by a couple of members,” she said, which she said had been “delaying and stripping bare any text to force Assad to stop his actions.”
The U.S. has predictably couched their push for intervention in humanitarian terms, while Russia does exactly the same thing, arguing that intervention, especially if led by the U.S., would cause more bloodshed and chaos.
In truth, geopolitical concerns are driving each of the postures. The U.S. and its Arab allies in the Gulf States, would welcome the chance to remove Assad from power and possibly replace the regime with a more Sunni-oriented, pro-Western dictatorship. Such a result would have the added benefit of eliminating Iran’s primary ally in the region, thus isolating the regime in Tehran even more.
On the other hand, Russia claims to object to intervention for the sake of the Syrian people, while it supports the murderous Assad regime with money and weapons. Russia is closely allied with Syria, a relationship that affords them a lot of influence in the Middle East, and has an interest in pushing back against Western imperialism for the sake of maintaining their own stake in the region.
Western powers, and the vast majority of the Security Council, continue to push for a plan that would sanction the Assad regime or even transfer power to his deputy and set early elections. Russia and China continue to argue for dialogue between the opposing sides in Syria. Meanwhile, the fighting in Syria continues and the humanitarian crisis worsens.
As someone tweeted: It's amusing that US is 'disgusted' at Chinese & Russian veto on Syria, given its countless UN vetos on Israeli brutality against Palestinians
You're right. I can't believe Susan Rice kept a straight face.
The last time she gave use "Ghaddafi hands out Viagra for Rape" to fire up opinion (I hope he was using generics). Wonder what's cooking now?
How many times has the US vetoed a resolution on Israeli human rights violations?
How many times have we shipped state of the art weapons to countries that massacre their own civilians? Chile, Indonesia, El Salvador, and a bunch I can't remember?
The double veto by Russia and China do not really preclude the US and other western powers from doing what they want to do. If what they want is nothing but adhering to universal value share by all peoples, the lack of UNSC mandate will not keep people from praising and admiring the US.for its leadership role on fulfilling its responsibility to protect. Why the western press responds like chick little?
R2P is just selling neo-con war for oil companies and Israel to "liberals/pwogs." Are you really that simple minded Itlee or only pretending?
guess I am not a people, I cannot think of any universal value in bombing the shit out of populations because they don's believe what you do, or they have something you want,or they dress funny or any other so called reason. I even consider you to have a right to live, …..in an asylum
The UN is a joke because of a few biased members that will never agree, placing their own agenda before the well being of innocent people being massacred in Syria or elsewhere. A King of the North VS King of the South showdown is taking place.
Oh look the Hasbara/O-bot minions have arrived.
Facepalm!
Great post, but typo error in the last paragraph:
"Western powers, and the vast majority of the Security Council, continue to push *to* for a plan that would sanction the Assad regime or even transfer power to his deputy and set early elections."
Who cares about massacres in Syria if it doesn't involve condeming Israel.
The UN has no right and no business to intervene in any civil war anywhere or to demand that any head of state "step down". That's not what the UN was created for.
The Russians and the Chinese aren't stupid. They know that any phony "humanitarian" intervention (whether in Yugoslavia in the 1990's, Iraq 1991-2003, Lybia 2011, etc) sets a dangerous example.
At some point THEY could be targeted in a "humanitarian" intervention. THEIR leaders could be required to "step down" by U.S./NATO.
They aren't stupid. It's a shame that antiwar.com completely missed the point.
The usual "too big to fail" argument could be used.
Sometimes I am left in awe of American hypocrisy.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle today is quite openly declared that the German approach to industrial raw materials must provide, and even use weapons if necessary.
"Preserving economic interests and access to resources must be a key part of our strategic thinking. Therefore, I am astonished that my support for the use of our soldiers in the fight against piracy judged immoral by some MPs in the Bundestag, "he said yesterday in an interview with newspaper
Wirtschaftswoche.
"Everywhere where diplomatic means fail to make progress, especially in the field of terrorism and piracy, there remains nothing more than that with
armed forces protect our interests. That we are in Afghanistan with our army of raw materials is nonsense, but we are in Afghanistan to protect resources
to provide revenue to the country and a good future, "explained its views on Westerwelle.
Make way for the mines!
no matter how many times the U.S. acts like this on the world stage,the brazen hyocrisy and absurdity never ceases to amaze me. Who else in the whole world acts like this – selling imperialist invasions of other countries as humanitarianism and demanding that everyone buy into it?
Without journalists on the ground in Syria, we ahve to be VERY careful about accepting these "massacre" claims at face value. The Syrian ambassador reportedly said during the UN vote yesterday: "Why would we commit such a massacre on the eve of a UN resolution?"
Some Twitterings from a poster on commondreams gathered from elsewhere:
BREAKING: BBC’s Jim Muir says activist groups in #Syria are revising down death toll in #Homs significantly from earlier figure of 200.
Local Coordinating Cttees now says 39 deaths in Khalidieh, 8 in other districts of #Homs, and 8 outside city. #syria
Figure of 200 was “provisional” – read that as you will.
Like until after the vote?? A Syrian girl (apparently in London) who was on the phone to Homs is getting local reports that the army was not shelling Homs, and that the 39 deaths are of Syrian soldiers earlier taken hostage by the “Free Syrian Army”.
Ali Abunimah tweets: “Syria videos that have emerged show military aged men dead/injured. Any showing images consistent with claimed civilian massacre?”
What’s with the snide remarks about Russia?
Who are you to say Russia is being “dishonest”? That’s nonsense. Russia and China have the UN Charter on their side. The whole world can see what’s going on here, and you can’t?
I don't want to see the repeat of Libya thousands civilians were murdered whilst the African minority were all targeted systematically and an entire population of 6 million were absent for months whilst the media portrayed a band AQ rebel thugs as democracy builders, this script is being played out exactly the same I hope Russia and China make a principled stance
Oh the hypocrisy of the United States is amazing what about Sudan, and Somalia and others all regimes they support to the core