How to Stop Syria Genocide: What the Neighbors Can Do

The only massacre anyone cares about is their own. And nobody "owns" the massacre in Syria except the Syrians. The world attempts to show they "care", but what is "care" and what mobilizes or galvanizes it? The world is preoccupied with the possibility of impending financial breakdown -- but that's not a massacre. Bashar al-Assad's genocide is a greater issue certainly, but right now, with Russia and China roadblocking any UN action, and the world skittish on military intervention, this mass murderer is getting a free pass and using it to the full. From killing "dozens" a day, he's going for "hundreds".

Unless some threat to "our" interests occurs - and Syria is not precisely or clearly "our" interest - we, the rest of the world, are throwing up our hands and saying "Eh - Oh" - which means neither "What was that?" nor "oh-oh" nor anything else intelligible. Russia is loath to lose an arms customer, now that the killing business is getting hot -- somewhere! finally! Ditto China. Besides, neither Russia nor China is hot on the idea of Da West railroading yet another dictator out of office. After all, these are kinder, gentler totalitarians, raising up young whippersnapper totalitarians. Neither country is noted for valuing human life or rights when weighed against maintaining power and control. So Bashar kills? Conscience to them is a matter of opinion. Hey, things are out of control. Any self-respecting totalitarian would crush the plebes into obedience. The only question to which Russia and China prick up their ears is "Got lead?"

So the world is basically negated by these two totalitarian Security Council veto-ers. What's left? The clear and present and obvious answer is, the neighbors. The Arab countries. They are really the only ones who can do something, but it needs back surgery. A real campaign in the Arab world to Bring Back the Vertebrates. Time was, Arabs were indignant about stuff. Competed. Fought wars. Gave a damn. Now nobody wants even to say what they think is right, let alone act on it. The Arab League is still wallowing in the long-discredited fake quicksand of conferences, discussions, meetings, and endless proclamations and statements. Worms and jellyfish can do that. A mass murderer is loose, killing innocents by the thousands, and the Arab league meets to discuss it. Women are being raped, and they are having a conference. Then they come to "observe". After the "observers" became so nauseated at what they saw that they could no longer function, they decided to have another meeting, maybe next week 'cause you see they're on a losing streak...

After the last long run of Arab dictators and their attendant pimps - don't ask me when this started! -- it's time to act like vertebrates. Time to finally walk upright. Time to stand up with and for the Syrian people against this brutal, genocidal dictator. How? Simple!

Cut off all business and all relations with any country that does business with Syria - including pointedly Russia and China. No matter the sacrifice. In short order, Security Council sanctions against Syria will pass, armies will gather at the borders, and the self-proclaimed "mighty" Bashar will shrink to the size of vermin without their abilities to reproduce.

With this simple tactic, the lives of Syrians can be saved by the hands and diplomatic coup of their Arab neighbors. Which neighboring states must ask themselves the question, Are we our brothers' keepers? And the followup question, Do we want the blood of 8,000 Syrians and counting to be remembered by our own failure to act?

The West Needs a New Friggin' Brain

When it comes to the Middle East, the U.S. usually looks like a clueless dwerp. A few well-enacted and clear principles would go far to change that.

1. Human beings are all human. The West tends to think of Arabs as non-human. A sort of mongol race, with a terrorist bent. Think of all the paranoia about the Muslim Brotherhood, as if it's back to its 1950's ascendancy, as if it proposes a return to "the caliphate", GW Bush's touted raison d'etre for the GWOT (war on terror). Think of the cries of "we don't know who these people are!" when considering aid to democracy movements in The Middle East. This is all bullcrap. Drop that load and get real.

2. Freedom and Peace are legitimate goals to defend. Humanity is diminished without them. But... they CANNOT be achieved by FORCE! It must be a willing achievement of the free will of those seeking freedom.

That's why Iraq and Afghanistan failed. We sought to IMPOSE freedom. That's an oxymoron ... moron!

3. In the Arab Spring, our help, no matter how military, is asked for by willing seekers of freedom from oppression. Examples: Libya and Syria.

To compare that to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is either ignorant or political posturing to an ignorant power base or both. Or worse, it could be mean-spirited cynicism appealing to a snarky, nasty power base.

Helping Libya is the same as helping France fight Hitler in WWII. What's in it for us? Our high ground. Freedom is a universal good. Who's gonna defend it? Unarmed civilians?

4. Terrorism cannot be successfully fought as if it's a foreign army with leaders, etc. while ignoring what it is: a freedom-seeking rebellion against oppression. Yes! In this case, seen as superpower-imposed dictatorships and repressive regimes. The latter includes, from the point of view of the Palestinians under their brutal thumb, the state of Israel.

Terrorism is not some sort of pro-caliphate ideology described by George W. Bush. Its idea (in Islamist-style terrorism) is that Islam will make people free from tyranny by non-Muslims. Look at the Palestinians under the Israelis, look at the Arab streets under their dictators. The dictators are all westernized, including the Saudis, whose duplicity is legendary. What could the people be expected to assume??

The only way terrorism could gain a power base of any kind is by the existence of repression that it appears only terrorism could remove. It gained a foothold only as a means to conquer oppression. PERIOD.

Many Arabs and Muslims believe that the word "terrorism" is a ploy invented by repressive regimes - including that of Israel vis-a-vis the Palestinians - in order to maintain and excuse their repression. We have clearly seen how Mubarak used the "threat" of terrorism to justify atrocities against his people. Do the people then not have good reason to believe this, O men and women of supposed minds???

5. Israelis are human beings. And therefore responsible for their actions. They are not fetuses. They are not angels. If the Israeli government is a repressive regime to the Palestinians, then how can they tout their "democracy" while denying Palestinians their basic human rights??? The word "security" is the same reason given by ALL midde eastern dictators for their repression. Are we not then supporters of oppression? Are not taxpayer dollars lavished on oppression? Then what is meant by "freedom-loving"??

6. The naming of groups of people as "terrorists" and thus justifying all manner of torture, murder, repression, abdication of human rights and principles CANNOT be a path to freedom or democracy. It is immoral, unjust, hateful, hypocritical, is itself oppression and repression, and destroys everything we claim to uphold as principle.

Without principles and a high ground, what exactly the hell are we???