Originally published on the CGS blog on June 24, 2011.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) held a hearing yesterday on future U.S. relations with Iran and Syria. While the witnesses and representatives in attendance were very critical of Iran, their talking points on Syria remained strategic. Syria is Iran’s biggest ally so the United States has a vested interest in supporting its hopeful transition towards democracy. Representative Berman discussed this need for the U.S. to increase its involvement through the UN Security Council (UNSC):
“The Security Council must take action to force Syria to come clean. And I’d like to see the Administration pull out the stops to impose Security Council sanctions, although it will not be easy to overcome Russian and Chinese objections.”
I think that it is extremely important for the Security Council to impose these sanctions even if China and Russia threaten to veto. Syria is undergoing a humanitarian crises and it is the responsibility of the Security Council to protect innocent civilians from being brutalized. If China and/or Russia decide to oppose potential sanctions then the lives of all innocent Syrians rest on their conscience.
One witness on the HFAC panel, Dr. Robert Satloff who is Executive Director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, recommended several policy options for the United States to pursue in order to better protect the people of Syria and increase our chance of less extremism emerging in the region. Two of his suggestions were:
- “Create an international contact group on Syria to show international and regional support for the Syrian people.
- Consider the establishment of “humanitarian relief zones” in areas along the Syrian border”
After attending this hearing I feel that the U.S. must condemn President Assad because he has lost all legitimacy as a leader. His actions are heinous and he deserves to feel the consequences. It is up to the UN Security Council to impose sanctions that will punish President Assad and give the Syrian people a chance for a brighter future. The U.S. needs to do what it can to support the Syrian people through the UNSC and uphold its own responsibility to protect in hopes that the rest of the UNSC will do the same.
