Syria: In front of a Horrified and Passive World

Notes internacionals CIDOB, núm. 62

In front of the massacres of civilians it looks (and it is) indecent not to do something. Yet it is not clear which legal mechanisms and which political conditions will allow an efficient humanitarian intervention.

If it is true that state sovereignty cannot be absolute, the problem is to sort out not so much its limits, but who –according to the current international law- can authorise a military intervention.

The Libyan case conditions Syria: an intervention based on humanitarian considerations (the protection of Libyan civilians from Khadafy’s regime repression) was swiftly transformed into the backing of one side in a civil war, the final goal being regime change.

To lose the Syrian allied will be a failure for Iran, who would see its connexion with Lebanese Hezbollah disrupted and will be left without its most deterrent weapon against a possible Israeli or American raid.

The impossibility of shifting the balance of power in favour of one of the sides in conflict means that only a negotiated compromise could end the current bloodbath and destruction. And yet, is any of the sides willing to accept less than absolute victory?

(...)