Avoiding UN Failure
Allan Topol | November 02, 2005
The U.N. consistently provides a forum for discussion without action. And so it is with Syria and its assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. On Monday, by a fifteen-to-zero vote, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution on this issue. It may have had unanimity, but it had absolutely no teeth.
The United States and Britain, joined by France for a change, were seeking to impose economic and other sanctions against Syria for its role in the assassination. The involvement of the Syrian regime of Bashir Assad at the highest levels is unquestioned. Detlev Mehlis, a meticulous and forceful German investigator retained by the U.N., has solidly established the Syrian regime's culpability.

Resultantly, the United States, Britain and France urged the Security Council to take the next step and impose sanctions. Russia and China threatened vetos (a familiar role) and the United States was forced to back down. Russia and China, joined by Algeria, argued that it was premature to consider punitive measures - an absurd position in light of the German investigator's conclusions. The United States had to settle for a totally useless resolution that orders Syria to cooperate "fully and unconditionally" with the continuing U.N. resolution.

They must be laughing in Damascus where Assad and his confidantes have demonstrated their unwillingness to cooperate. In fact, during the debate the Syrian foreign minister criticized the report of the German investigator, calling it biased and based upon preconceived conclusions. In his words, the Syrian cooperation has already been "complete."

The United States for its part is relegated to veiled "if you don't cooperate now, we'll take action against you" threats against Syria, reminiscent of a parent's warning to misbehaving children. This reality is rendered even direr by the fact that the Hariri assassination is only one of the Syrian government's recent illegal actions. It is also supporting terrorists throughout the Middle East as well as facilitating the insurgency in Iraq.

Nothing will happen in the U.N. The time has come for the United States to get realistic about Syria. We must develop alternatives that will permit effective action. But given the state of our military involvement in Iraq, unseating the Assad regime by unilateral force is not a viable option nor would any other countries join with us in such an endeavor. On the other hand, the U.S. could impose meaningful and punitive economic sanctions against Syria outside of the U.N. framework. At the same time we'd have to ensure that the same European countries that facilitated trade with Saddam Hussein did not undercut them. With Britain and France in agreement and joined by other European countries longing to see the EU become a meaningful force in international affairs, joint U.S./EU sanctions on Syria might just be a novel and effective way around the gridlock of the U.N.

sardonicus- sticking right to the republican talking points eh? good... seeing as you guys are digging yourselves a hole right to china so you can just drop them our jobs thru the hole...... i hope you guys keep it up. you party will end its career with the lowest approval rating of any american president in modern times.....

how long does this anti syrian sentiment go back?---all the way to beirut where we fought with them in the 80's.....and you guys want to rekindle a war while we are allready losing another one----- go fight it yourself..... you are a threat to our country..... go put your butt where your mouth is and fight for what you believe in---------

if you godamn republicans had to fight wars yourselves we would have alot less of this tough talk...... go fight it sardonicus- your banging your head against a wall but your not going to be trusted with one more soldier from this country. personally i would be willing to pick up arms to stop the republicans from attacking another country under totally false pretenses

your party is done!!!!! your president is done! America doesnt believe you proven liers anymore!!!!! go fight yourself sardonicus and take the bush twins with you....and if a grenade lands in your fox hole....have barbara cover the grenade to save the others....noone will miss her stoupid racist old ass anyway.......dont worry, you can cover the next grenade you lil jihadie..........go on git!

My biggest trouble with W is he thinks too small. Btw I seldom bother to get into a dialogue with you lupo 'cause you are obviously a psychopath. There is no arguing with a nut.
I assume you must be a vet since you seem to have so many concers about fighting wars.
If I was of an age to go I would have gone long ago. I was there in Korea and Indo-China. Popular usage Viet Nam. What candy store were you jacking up?

Lupo, regarding your paragraph 3, please consider me a brother-in-arms. Moe

Yes Lupo it makes a lot of sense to allow them to funnel people arms and cash over the fence into Iraq. You and the other libs may not like it but islam picked this fight and it will get much worse before it gets better. Even the shiftless Europeans are starting to admit it.

I think it was Osama that picked this fight, not Islam. It would behoove us to keep our focus. And regarding Iraq, a person could even argue that W picked the fight. Although the better argument would be that it was "The Project For the New American Century".

Focus is important. We need to focus on the fact that every Islamic nation has been represented and implicated in 0ver 3000 terror attacks world wide since 911. Before we continue down the path that it is an isolated group. If GW picked the fight maybe Islam should take your advice and kkep the focus. Why attack countries other than the US if it is indeed between Osama and GW? Like I say inspite of reality you have liberal logic.

"islam picked the fight" - this is the mindset that we are dealing with folks....TK- what about the very large border with saudi arabia? member them? the folks that attacked us on 9/11!!!!! why wouldnt the insurgents, who are known to be mainly from saudi arabia, not just cross their own border???? cuz it doesnt fit into trying to attack another country??????

sardine-ass kiss ------ go cut and paste something why dont you....atleast this psychopath can think for himself......
ps -im smarter than you! and i am not a wimpy liberal that fits into your lil mindset of the world.... i do work that is harder than anything you could do....and i would be the first to defend my loved ones or familly or neighbors from a foreign threat...... but i dont pick fights, or bully, or allow those around me to be bullied, and i will stand up to whats wrong even if it is my own country that is wrong...........

that makes me a true american and not some flip flop, ignorant of history, idealogue like yourself that is willing to ruin this country to placate my own hatred of others...........

if you can find a good comeback to cut and paste....then do it

are you one of these conservatives that gets paid to cut and past on BB"s like the guys were doing last year??????

islam picked the fight" - this is the mindset that we are dealing with folks....TK- what about the very large border with saudi arabia? member them? the folks that attacked us on 9/11!!!!! why wouldnt the insurgents, who are known to be mainly from saudi arabia, not just cross their own border???? cuz it doesnt fit into trying to attack another country??????

I do not get your point ?

Fundamentalist Islam got its modern start in Saudi Arabia as th UN birthed Isreal. They had the money to educate because of oil. This idiology has been growing and multiplying from this core. It is being exported so the fact the 911 conspirators where of Saudi is a non issue. The most militant and agressive are from Jordan and Yemen.

so the bad guys are from the countries that we dont get much oil from?

"the fact the 911 conspirators where from Saudi is a non issue"

only to you and the others engaged in the cover up !!!!!!!!!!

have you forgotton the fact...yes FACT that : the Bush admin began plans to invade iraq way before 9/11.......

this had nothing to do with 9/11 other than the fact that they allowed terrorists to attack us when they knew -who was going to attack us, where they were training, where they were going to attack and How they were going to do it......

and now it is obvious that they allowed the attack in order to change public perception regarding their allready created plans to attack iraq

Only to you and the others engaged in the cover up !!!!!!!!!!

Hang with me Lupo stay off the conspiracy theories. They are dope for the waek minded.

Do you care where someone is from if they commit a crime against you or do you care more about the individual or the idology that drives the crime? Osama and Zarqawi want SA dead as much or more than they want us dead. The SA royal family is as much an infidel as the US Govt. in their eyes. There have been more attacks in Islamic countries by terrorists than there have been in Non Islamic countries.

im trying to hang with ya....im trying.... im gonna digest that last one for a bit and think it over.....im not sure that the royal familly is hated for being infedels....infact i dont believe that .....i think they are hated because they are a very coruppt oppressive regime......the type that we typically support

ill be back in a bit....gotta hit the gym

Stupo, I gotta give you credit, you are funny. Entertaining that is. You bring to mind a movie called "Clueless in Seattle."
Btw why go to the Gym if you do such hard work? When I was a kid nobody went to the gym, didn't need to, most everybody did real physical labor. We didn't have any illegals to do it for us.
Guess I'll go find something suitable and easy to digest for you. I won't do a transliteration, I'll just paste it.

because i can work on a roof all day and still go to Mixed martial art training for two hours a night.........just that kinda guy i guess....i have no employees so im not sure what you are talking about with your illegals comment......lets see your old bag of bones carry an 80lb bundle of material up a fully extended 40' ladder.....then ill respect your opinion on hard work

im sorry that your all bent out of shape about this entire collapse of reality for the republicans....but the true republicans, those who love their country, are standing against the president right now and are smart enough to change their minds......which of course shows that they have minds after all.......

Lupo,

MMA cool I love watching UFC fights. Tough guys for sure.

I am doing 50 squares of sidewall shingles right now. Two stories all off of a ladder. You guys earn your money.

I see it is acting like a bar whore again. I suppose its what attracts the Navy guys. You know their rep for bangin any skank in sight.

It would be a vulgarity to a lady in your case It's an adjective.

It would be a vulgarity to a lady in your case It's an adjective.

Help, are lupo and the bovine one married? I don't want to stir up a loving couple.
I think martial arts is a neat art form. More active than tai chi. I have two sons-in-law that are black belts in a couple of different disciplines. One is an instructor of various arcane Asian aggressive dance forms. Except for Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and a few others that have made a bit of change at it, hauling 80lb loads up a ladder is probably more profitable and no challenge to the intellect.
You are most assuredly correct stupo in that I could not haul 80lbs up a ladder. Once upon a time, but no more. Tossing four bags of traction sand at 70lbs each into the back of the pickup is all the heavy lifing I want.

In a way I feel bad for your lack of political savvy. But you have lots of company.