January 3, 2012 | Quote
Mass Murder in Syria, Inaction by Obama
Critics of the administration concede that arming the opposition forces has its downside and may add to political strife and violence after Assad is gone. While acknowledging this concern, Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies tells me, “That all said, the west should not sit idly by. Western states should be helping the opposition coordinate and communicate better, at the very least. And they should be leading a much stronger international campaign to call attention to the slaughter there. But as the mass killings continue, the West will find it harder and harder to rationalize its inaction.” He adds, “In my opinion, we’re already at the humanitarian tipping point that prompted Obama to begin working with NATO to bomb Qaddaffi’s Libya. I’m curious to hear how that met criteria, but the current situation does not.”