As pro-democracy protests continue to face crackdowns in Syria, Western nations are looking to ratchet up sanctions against the Assad government, as well as taking other, as yet unspecified “steps” against the regime.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to her EU counterpart today, and the two agreed to “increase pressure and further isolate the Assad regime” going forward. In the near term this will almost certainly center around sanctions.
In the long term, however, France is still hoping for a UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria for the crackdown. They say there is growing support, but either Russia or China is still seen likely to veto, particularly after the anti-Libya resolution ended up a springboard to a NATO war.
Activists have put the death toll of the crackdown against protesters at over 700 civilians in Syria. While this cannot be confirmed the Syrian military has been active in moving against demonstrators, and has increasingly resorted to using tanks.
But while the sanctions and other efforts to “express solidarity” with the protesters appear to be popular with Western nations, they appear to primarily play into the hands of the Assad government, which is then able to paint the pro-democracy protesters as foreign-backed troublemakers. This has been particularly true of the US, which has confirmed providing “secret” funding for certain elements in the protests.
Sanctions always strengthen dictators. They didn't do anything but solidify Castro's hold on Cuba and they didn't do anything to get rid of Saddam Hussein, all they ever do is hurt the poorest of the people. How can anyone continue to support this inhumane policy that always has the totally opposite effect of what they were intended to accomplish?
I don't guess we are going to see a 'no-fly zone' over Israel to protect unarmed Palestinians from being gunned down any time soon. And probably not in Bahrain either, right?
I guess if you buy your bullets from Washington, you can shoot as many unarmed protesters as you like without a word of protest.
Oh, wait a minute. Not only without a word of protest. If you are Israel, you get the White House press secretary standing up and telling the world just how wonderful it is that you've used your Washington bullets to shoot unarmed protesters. And of course, the White House will make sure that your supply of Washington bullets is fully restocked so that you are capable of shooting down even more unarmed protesters in the future.
A link for "the US … has confirmed providing “secret” funding for certain elements in the protests" would be very welcome.
Perhaps Jason is thinking of this, from a month ago: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-secretly-b…
Sanctions (and freezing assets) against any country by the global corporate/financial/militarist Empire which now controls our former country by hiding behind the facade of the empire's TWO-Party Nazi-like "Vichy" sham of faux-democratic government, is merely a ploy to do "asset stripping" of that country — after which, like Libya, the seized/stripped assets are then handed to the global weapons makers (like GE, Boeing, Xe, etc) to fuel war profits through buying planes, tanks, bombs, etc. which are in turn used against the people and country whose "assets were stripped".
As the old song says, "it's a Nice and profitable war scam and looting for the global Empire if you can do it, and you can do it if you lie"
Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine
Liberty & democracy over violent empire — New America People's Party 2012