Despite UN Resolution, Aid Still Stalled

Govt, Rebels Trade Blame, But Has Anything Changed?

After weeks of debating language, the UN Security Council finally, unanimously, passed a resolution on Syrian aid earlier this week, calling for both sides to immediately allow humanitarian aid to start flowing.

Aid groups were hoping for the best, but so far there’s been no real change on the ground, saying everyone is still waiting for some sort of breakthrough that just doesn’t seem to be coming.

Rebels are saying it’s all the government’s fault, and that they’re refusing to let the aid in to rebel held areas. The government insists the rebels are to blame, and are keeping civilians from reaching the aid.

Either way, the UN Security Council resolution made non-specific threats of “action” against whoever’s fault it is, and that means weeks more of nations pushing conflict resolutions trying to assign blame to whichever side they didn’t like in the first place. As for the aid, that’s as always secondary.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.