Russia U.N. Veto On Syria Aimed At Crushing West's Crusade

[Purveyor]

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS | Wed Feb 8, 2012 8:42am EST

(Reuters) - Russia's veto of a Security Council resolution on Syria goes far beyond mere protection for a close ally and arms buyer - it showed Moscow's determination to crush what it sees as a Western crusade to use the United Nations to topple unfriendly regimes.

The same holds true for China, which followed Russia's lead and joined Moscow in its second double veto to strike down a European-Arab draft resolution that would have endorsed an Arab League plan for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to transfer power to his deputy to prepare free elections.

Russia's move, analysts and diplomats say, was a diplomatic counteroffensive responding to an unusually active period for the Security Council. Last year the 15-nation panel twice adopted resolutions authorizing "all necessary measures" - diplomatic code for military force - in Libya and Ivory Coast.

Libya and Ivory Coast were also the first time the council invoked the Western-backed notion of the "responsibility to protect" civilians threatened by their own governments.

MORE...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/08/us-un-russia-idUSTRE8170BK20120208

[TheWraith]

1. Bullshit. They're protecting their arms-trade client state.

And China's lending a hand to another state which brutally massacres it's dissidents.

[teddy51]

2. I don't like at all what is happening to the innocent in Syria, but I have to ask did

the west have a hand in starting this whole uprising to begin with? It would seem that the west has been involved in regime change all over the middle east, and if they were involved in this by trying to bring Assad down then they have themselves to blame for whats happening in Syria.

[tabatha]

4. That is a slap in the face to the people who have been rising up and being butchered.

Factless and groundless, and implying that the Arabs cannot do anything on their own.

Please read Martin Basheer's book - Invisible Arab.

"The Invisible Arab is a brilliant essay from Marwan Bishara, one of the Arab world's leading public intellectuals, on how the Arabs broke their own psychological barrier of fear to kindle the greatest revolutionary transformation in recent memory. It explains why the West was completely surprised by this and will continue to be surprised by the Arabs as long as the West is captive to the age-old stereotypes about the region and its people.

In much of the world's media, the narrative of the Arab revolutions went like this: an oppressed people who have suffered passively suddenly decided that enough was enough and, thanks to Western technology and inspiration, spontaneously rose to reclaim their freedom, inspiring the Arab Spring. But like most revolutions, this one was a long time coming.

The historic takeover of Tunis's November 7 Square, Cairo's Tahrir Square, and Manama's Pearl Square, among others, were the culmination of a long social and political struggle - countless sit-ins, strikes, pickets, and demonstrations by people who risked and suffered intimidation, torture and imprisonment. It was aided by the dramatic rise of satellite networks like Al Jazeera, which, Bishara argues, are as important to the present Arab revolution as Nasser was to the rise of pan-Arabism in the 1950s and 1960s.

In fact, Bishara argues, for decades these Arab citizens and their social and political movements and their new media have been unfairly demonised or rendered invisible in the West who saw the region through the prisms of Israel, oil, terrorism, or radical Islamism. Arab underdevelopment was blamed on cultural backwardness and dreamy pan-Arabism or insolent Islam. The events of September 11, 2001, compounded this.

But, as Bishara shows, today's Arab's are presenting a stark contrast to the distortion, disinformation and outright humiliation heaped upon them. Long characterised as unreceptive to democracy and freedom, they are now giving the world a lesson in both."

http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Arab-Promise-Peril-Revolutions/dp/1568587082

[teddy51]

6. I say again, if the west was the driving force behind this uprising then the west is to

blame for the what we are now seeing. If in fact the uprising is a true product of the people of Syria, then Assad should step down. We don't know how many Syrian's support this uprising.

How do we know that the Rebels are not hiding amongst the innocent citizens of Homs? If they are and are attacking the Syrian forces (Assads), then they are cowards.

[tabatha]

8. Boy, you do jump to conclusions that smear without a second thought.

The rebels are PROTECTING the civilians as much as possible.

And who can hide from missiles launched from far way, as randomly as possible?

Did you read this about "Doctors without borders" said?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002283880

Do you really think that Assad is not a criminal?

[pampango]

3. Very informative. China backs Russia here which returns the favor with Burma, North Korea and Sudan.

"But while Western governments and human rights groups welcomed enforcement of the concept of the "responsibility to protect" civilians, Moscow and Beijing did not hide their disdain for an idea they equate with violating states' sovereignty, which the United Nations was founded to protect." When the UN General Assembly adopted the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect it did so by a unanimous vote. If Russia and China now disdain R2P as an infringement on national sovereignty, they did not vote accordingly in 2005. They and every other UN member voted to promote human rights over national sovereignty.

"The Russian veto goes beyond alliances, revenues from arms sales and Syria's considerable strategic importance for Moscow. It goes to the heart of a deep split between Russia and China, on the one hand, and the West on the other, on whether the United Nations should intervene in internal domestic conflicts. Russia's and China's support for non-interference should come as no surprise, analysts say. Some Western governments and many human rights groups accuse both Moscow and Beijing of suppressing dissidents at home.

"The Syria vetoes are a dramatic evidence of a longstanding difference between Russia and China and many other countries, but particularly the West," said David Bosco of American University in Washington. "There are all sorts of political interests involved but there is also a basic difference about whether the international community should be involved in internal conflicts against the will of the government," he said.

Lopez said that Russia had a willing helper in China, which has worked hard to keep the Security Council off the backs of countries that it considers strategic allies, like Myanmar, North Korea and Sudan. He said China's veto was not a show of support for Assad but "an act of solidarity so that the Russians will support them on North Korean issues at the council."'

[tabatha]

5. Nonsense.

Syria is the last Russian outpost, and they do not want to lose it to any "democracy".

And Syria is not only taking orders from Tehran, they are following the same playbook that Iran used to crush their own democracy movement. There are 15,000 Iranians in Syria now, with weapons and logistics personnel.

The majority Sunnis in Syria are screwed.

[Elric]

7. Not much doubt that the Iranians are backing Assad to the hilt

probably been plenty of Syrian's killed by Iranians in Assad's ongoing massacres.

[Xolodno]

9. Looking from the Russia's and China's point of view...

...and excluding any premises of morality.

1. Both nations are often accused of (and rightfully so) of abuses.

2. Very wary of influence from the West on their doorstep (see Georgia, Ukraine, etc.).

3. Russia sure isn't too happy about that "missile shield" and I think it was recently announced (before the vote maybe?) that they still plan to go through with it. And of course, whats to stop from putting the same thing in Japan...you know in case N. Korea attacks.

4. They would most certainly lose a client state.

5. Syria would have to cozy up to Russia and China big time to repay the favor.

6. Russia and China don't trust the West (can you blame them?)

7. Russia and China will do whats in their own best interest, not the world community which they see as placating the West.

8. Helping the democratic process in Syria could bring more unwanted attention by Russia's and China's populace of their "democratic process".

When you add all that up, I'm not surprised they vetoed it. Not trying to defend the "behavior" but looking at what may have led up to it.

[teddy51]

10. But if I'm not mistaking, the US is doing in Afghanistan exactly what Assad

is doing in Syria. The US is using Drones to kill innocent people and then targeting the rescue workers and funerals as well. I absolutely hate what Assad is doing, but I don't like what the US is doing either.

And here is the point in question: http://www.democraticunderground.com/101612761

[Purveyor]

13. Indeed. Thank you for your commentary. +1

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Real politik.

Humanitarian intent is for the rubes. International relations in a nutshell.

[WCGreen]

14. Syria has nothing to offer except a thorn in the side of the West...

No, on this one, China and Russia are both on the wrong side of history.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. In other news, water is wet

This is still at the politics level though.