Is Assad on his last legs? Atrocity after atrocity occurs, and the world reacts with–strongly-worded statements. We’ve seen this happen, time and again. I’d like to know, however, why Libya was so urgent but Syria is not. Can our president please explain to me that the mere rumor of massacres, which brought American bombers into Libya, outranks actual massacres? What’s that you say? Because he said so? Oh. Got it. Meantime, this sure sounds familiar:
Survivors of the Treimsa massacre and activists recounted the horrors, telling of how “gunmen went from house to house clinically executing survivors,” while others were shot dead as they tried to escape through the fields surrounding the village.
Syria state television made no mention of the massacre, reporting only of “terrorist action” against Assad’s troops.
The Syrian government said that only 50 people died in the village, saying that “the killing was carried out by rebels and foreign journalists.”
Right. Foreign journalists. We all know their reputation of going into other countries and slaughtering children. They’re the scourge of the world. Oh. Wait. You meant the Iranian Republican Guard and Hezbollah fighters, as well as Assad’s thugs? Yeah, I thought you did. Oh, by the way, Kofi Annon is shocked, shocked I tell you. But he had such a great peace plan! But what do you expect, when the UN elects Iran to its arms trade committee, Libya chairs the human rights committee, and now Sudan is on track to get on the human rights committee. And–get this–Syria is on track to for a seat on the human rights committee next year. What. A. Joke.
The UN of Terrorists: UNESCO is establishing a chair in astronomy, astrophysics and space sciences at–wait for it–Islamic University in Gaza. That’s right, an Islamist terrorist university is deemed the perfect place for the UN to put money into training students. For terrorism, we presume. Here’s what Israel had to say about it:
“Hamas uses Gaza University laboratories to develop and produce explosives and rockets and has even run a course on explosive making. The university is a warehouse for weapons and a venue for secret meetings of military leaders”
That’s not a bug for the Israel-hating UNESCO. It’s a feature.
Middle East ERA Watch: Egypt is opening a new TV channel staffed entirely by women–in body-covering niqabs. Yeah, that Facebook revolution, wow, what a great thing to happen to Egypt, huh?
The difference between Libya and Syria is that Gadaffi SAID he would personally see to the complete annihilation of every man woman and child in Bengazi whereas Assad merely wipes out a few hundred at a time with no threats or promises. Western liberal democracies respond more to threats to their own future depiction in history than to any actual events, atrocities or genocides as they occur. This why the west acted against Gadaffi – they had to ensure they wouldn’t be painted as people who were thrown down the gauntlet and then refused to pick it up. Syria though isn’t in their job description and Assad is free to commit whatever barbarities he likes as long as he never dares anyone to stop him. It’s a bit like dealing with a French communist. You can do whatever you like to do him, say what you want, heck you could have sex with his wife right in front of him and he won’t care. Your only sin is to fail to take him as seriously as he does, about himself.