Appalment and Brutality in Syria

14 October 2016

By Tariq Alhomayed

The spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary General has said that Ban Ki-moon was ''appalled by chilling military escalation in Aleppo.'' While U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power accused Moscow of engaging in barbarism in Syria, saying: ''What Russia is sponsoring and doing is not counterterrorism, it is barbarism.''

Giving such descriptions to the situation in Syria is normal for us and for those who can do nothing about it. But it is not acceptable when an international organization as powerful as the U.N. says it, or when the U.S., a superpower, does not act to protect unarmed civilians and maintain regional, and therefore international, security.

The crimes committed in Syria are unprecedented in modern times. They are crimes of negligence as much as they amount to murder and genocide.

President Barack Obama was negligent when he described the situation in Syria, following the protests that erupted against the regime in 2011, as ''civil war''. In reality, it is an international war waged by Assad with the support of Iran and its mercenaries, and with the participation of Russia, and the collaboration of Iraq and some countries that belong to the Iranian axis.

What is happening in Syria is a crime of international negligence because the U.N., through its Secretary General, has only condemned and expressed its concerns over the unprecedented crimes. The horrific crimes were committed by Assad by killing, torturing, persecuting and using chemical weapons against unarmed civilians – all of which were committed under an Iranian-Russian cover.

The crimes in Syria are unparalleled especially that the international community was more tolerant with Iran which has caused the death of over half a million Syrians in the Syrian Arab Republic that does not even share a common border with Iran. Washington even justified the Iranian presence, granting it more authority.

So, why were President Obama and Ban Ki-moon lenient with that?

The U.S. and U.N. Secretary General's statements about the brutality and appalling situation in Syria are useless as long as Russia and Iran continue to kill Syrians and support Assad in his crimes.

Being appalled and describing Assad's killing as barbarism are mere words uttered by the helpless. They draw a condemnation of the U.S. and U.N. for failing to stop the crimes of Assad, Russia and Iran- not just once but for five long years.

What's astonishing is that this international weakness comes as the Syrian opposition is firm and resisting despite its limited capabilities.

Would it not have been better for the U.S. and the U.N. to provide the opposition with real support rather than issuing statements of condemnation?

Tariq Alhomayed is the former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat. Mr. Alhomyed has been a guest analyst and commentator on numerous news and current affair programs, and during his distinguished career has held numerous positions at Asharq Al-Awsat, amongst other newspapers. Notably, he was the first journalist to interview Osama Bin Ladin's mother. Mr. Alhomayed holds a bachelor's degree in media studies from King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. He is based in London. 

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