When negotiations between the US, Russia and Iran grow best in the dark, as they are bound to, Assad will realise that he is an expendable pawn in the game of nations.
The human suffering in the Syrian crisis since February 2011 is, above all, a tragedy for the Syrian people, but also demonstrably a crisis of international intervention.
Regional dynamics have played a critical role in the response to the civil war in Syria. They will continue to dominate attempts to move forward with a political solution.
To some, the international response to the Syrian crisis has meant the end of the R2P. But the lack of intervention in Syria teaches us little about the intervention norm.
Syria has thrown up challenges, but not thrown out the R2P. There is an interest in clarifying the norm to prevent misuse but no demand to rescind the norm.
In this interview, Professor Noam Chomsky discusses the recent passing of Nelson Mandela, Iran, Israel-Palestine, the Syrian crisis, and his recent debate with Zizek.
When all else fails, an agreement to meet again is trumpeted as success. If the talks fail, they should do so in a way that leaves open the possibility of reconvening.
The response to the Syria crisis shames the international community. But it does not mean that we have heard the death knell of the responsibility to protect.
The Syrian civil war has shaken up the political and strategic environment of the Middle East region, with all outcomes likely to bring political and economic uncertainties.
Criteria exist for intervention in R2P, but what is needed is a more explicit acceptance of those criteria and an interpretation of them that is most morally judicious.
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