Syria vote a reminder of U.N. failure

There is no real doubt that the regime in the Middle Eastern nation of Syria has brutally suppressed an uprising by Syrian civilians, in an attempt to maintain dictatorial power.

About 3,000 Syrians have been killed. Others have been tortured or jailed.

So you might think it would be an easy decision for the member nations of the U.N. to unite in denouncing the crackdown and in threatening sanctions if the Syrian government doesn't stop attacking its own people.

But even that lukewarm action was rejected by the U.N. recently.

Russia and Communist China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have raised the possibility of sanctions against Syria if it didn't stop the attacks on civilians.

And the resolution was scarcely what anyone would call "strong": "European members of the Security Council watered down the language on sanctions three times ...," The Associated Press reported.

The measure would have called for protecting human rights in Syria and for an end to the violence, as well as for an open political process. Yet the mildly worded resolution lost by a 9-2 vote in the Security Council.

Could there be any clearer reminder that the U.N. is simply not an effective forum for working out serious conflicts in the world?

Upcoming Events