More than Words!

The ongoing crackdown in Syria is not the result of some haphazard uncalculated move by the Assads. Rather it reflects a deliberate policy on their part and a definite decision that seems to have been made in the immediate aftermath of the Baath Congress in May 2005. The delay in implementation seems to reflect the desire to wait for the “right” circumstances and conditions, and from the regime’s standpoint, there could be no better time than now, seeing that the alliance with Iran seems to have been crystallized more clearly and that the US and the EU seem to be more preoccupied now with the ongoing nuclear stand-off with the Iranian regime.

For this reason, nothing less than drastic measures can lead the Assads to review their current policies. A simply condemnation by the European Parliament of the current developments in Syria will only beget the kind of petulant defiance that regime officials have recently shown, as they proceeded to patronize the Ambassadors of the EU and Austria (which currently leads the Union) and criticize the European record on human rights and the double standards with which European governments continue to weigh developments in the Occupied Territories.

Mere condemnations will not do then. More drastic measures are required, as I have suggested earlier. A lowering of the diplomatic representation with Syria, even if for a few short weeks, could send a more cogent and stern message in this regard. Enough with the words of indignation people, do something for crying out loud!