Kofi Annan Quits Syria

United Nations Special Envoy Kofi Annan has quit his diplomatic mission to Syria in the midst of the increasingly desperate civil war between rebels and forces loyal to Bashir-al Assad.

Does this mean that diplomacy is dead?

Kofi Annan for all his faults is a highly skilled and capable diplomat, but the situation in Syria has moved beyond diplomacy at present.

Assad is a dictator clinging to power battling an insurgency that knows laying down their weapons isn’t a option.

Though all civil wars eventually end with some sort of diplomatic settlement, I believe the international community may have to wait for the violence to cease before diplomacy can take hold.

The cost of this approach is thousands more lives, so its unpalatable to the international community, but this isn’t a video game either. There isn’t a reset button…the status quo in Syria is broken beyond repair.

To say diplomacy is hopeless is wrong, but there’s a time for diplomacy and a time for war…

Right now, the war is on.

Syria: United Nations Standoff

If Israel’s allies wonder why they are considering unilateral action against Iran, perhaps they should review the events of Saturday at the United Nations Security Council.

On Saturday, Russia and China vetoed a resolution backing the Arab League peace plan calling for Bashar Assad to step down. The vote occurred as Syrian forces loyal to Assad continued to shell the city of Homs. In the latest episode of violence, 200 people were killed and the United Nations says that 5,400 people have been killed in the Assad crackdown on civilian protests.

Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0204/Russia-China-veto-UN-resolution-on-Syria

Russia is said to be against any U.N. resolution that advocates for regime change or military intervention. I’m assuming China objections are similar.

 I echo the sentiments of French ambassador Gerard Araud “ Russia and China had "made themselves complicit in a policy of repression carried out by the Assad regime." Apparently, its’ okay to terrorize your own people as long as you have big friends, gee isn’t that a great message for all of humanity.

 Russia and China should be ashamed of themselves, but probably see common bloodlines between their leadership and Assad.

May God be with the Syrian people. I am ashamed to admit that the Western powers embodied in the United Nations Security Council have let yet another beleaguered people

The Unilateral Bomb?: Israel’s Decision

The recent escalation in rhetoric from Israeli officials insisting that Iran poses a great danger to Israel and The West because of its’ nuclear program is beginning to alarm Western leaders. Western governments are afraid that Israel may launch unilateral strikes against Iran, which could have the effect of destabilizing the Middle East.

Though their Western allies are trying to dissuade them from such actions, Israel may view Iran as an existential threat that needs to be dealt with, international consent or not. Many still say that an Iranian attack of Israel is unlikely because Iran would be destroyed by a counterstrike.

However, when the Iranian president refers to the Holocaust as a fiction and declares that the state of Israel needs to wiped out, it does make you wonder what Iran would do.

Note it is actually the religious hierarchy of Iran that would make any decisions relating to war, not President Ahmadinejad.

Israel is one of the most unique states in the modern state system. It was created in the face of an unspeakable human tragedy. Millions of Jews were exterminated during World War II. These facts leave Israel with an unprecedented national security situation.

 Israel is going to do whatever it thinks it needs to do for its’ own security. They’ve never had issue going against U.S. wishes before, why would now be any different? Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail, but Western governments need to be weary of placing their own perceptions of reality on Israel.

Why all the U.N. Hate?

Fair question, given that the United Nations emergence on the global stage opened new doors for diplomacy. Talking about things has probably averted a conflict or seven over the years, and United Nations reports are typically plentiful sources of information that provide guidance to the issues of the world.

For all the criticism lobbed at the United Nations, it beats the alternative of tanks rumbling through the streets of Berlin, rioting in the streets and burning buildings in downtown Paris.

I think the hatred for the United Nations comes from its’ performance in the big moments. It's sort of like if your a really nice person, but tend to shoot your mouth off when people are listening. You'll get a reputation as a jerk and a blowhard whether its deserved or not.

The United Nations has frozen in some pretty big spots. I'm thinking particularly about the Rwandan genocide. The U.N. failed to listen to their people on the ground and now the death toll in Rwanda is over a million.

The U.N. has done great works throughout the world, but they've also had occasion to falter when it mattered most. Rightly or wrongly, their failures have been broadcast to the entire world and stand out more than their successes.