A report on the Syrian civil war notes that, among the combatants, the regime of Bashar al-Assad has led the way in slaughtering civilians and committing war crimes. Yet, writes Frederic Hof, the Obama administration has been indifferent to Syrians’ plight—most likely out of deference to Iran:
Even though nuclear talks are important, one wonders if Tehran’s facilitation of Assad-regime criminality arises at all in official U.S.-Iranian exchanges. Has there been a systematic diplomatic campaign aimed at persuading Tehran and Moscow to oblige their client to respect pertinent United Nations Security Council resolutions? Is Iran being asked to force its client to stop barrel-bombing and lift starvation sieges? The news media’s lack of curiosity is itself curious.
For years now, various commentators have called on the Obama administration to impose a no-fly zone to prevent the mass murder of Syrian civilians by the Assad regime, whose sense of impunity permits it to resume chemical attacks on its own citizens. The administration has readily deployed talking points about why a no-fly zone is problematic, why anti-aircraft weaponry presents proliferation problems, and so forth. [But] those who mention specific methodologies are not trying to be tactically prescriptive. They want instead to persuade the president of the United States to give a damn about suffering, terrified human beings. They want him to throw sand into the gears of Assad’s murder machine. They are not obsessed with this or that methodology.
The indelible stain that can mark the Obama legacy forever on this issue is nothing compared to the terror and suffering that can be mitigated if the president elects to try. . . . The Iranians can negotiate while facilitating mass murder. No doubt, they can do so if the greatest power on earth pushes back a bit. President Obama should act now to protect Syrian civilians.
Read more on Atlantic Council: http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/syria-civilians-pay-the-price