The Continuing Unrest in Syria

The uprising against the Syrian government that started in March 2011 does not seem like it will improve anytime soon. Twenty people were killed yesterday, adding to some 5,000 people that have died since March.

Last week, the Arab League stepped forward in trying to deal with this devastating situation in Syria, and asked the United Nations to cooperate. However, the U.N. Security Council struggled to reach an agreement on the draft resolution that attempts to convince the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Most nations supported the draft resolution, except China and Russia. China and Russia believe that initiating talks with Syria would be more effective than the resolution that calls al-Assad to transfer his power. Russia even made its own resolution that places blame not just on the regime but also on the opposing protestors. This is no surprise, considering that Russia has about $20 billion worth of investments in Syria. In addition, Syria has bought about $4 billion worth of weapons from Russia.

It seems like the international community will have a tough time reaching an agreement on Syria. The Arab League is pressuring Syria to stop violent killings of civilians, but Syria firmly believes that the Arab League is not the “Arab League” without Syria. The Security Council will never pass a resolution as long as China and Russia have veto powers – unless it finds a way to work around the differences and find solutions to please the two Syrian allies. Violence in Syria is only getting worse by day, because civilians are using more aggression in retaliation to government force.