Duped

The crisis du jour in Syria has abated though the actual problem is still as severe, if not more so, than it was months and years ago.

The "deal" struck between the US and Russia to wrest from the Syrian government its chemical weapons was an easy political non-solution to a human rights problem. It does nothing to end the slaughter, almost all of which has been caused by conventional weapons, weapons funneled to the Syrian government by its Russian backers.

I'd like to pose the question: what have we achieved? Assuming the Syrian government complies with this plan - and I assume they will given that Russia is their lifeline - so what? What have we done? The destruction of chemical weapons is certainly laudable, but only because those weapons take human life. So if we therefore see the protection of human life as the end goal when discussing the destruction of chemical weapons, I again pose the question: what have we achieved? A not-so-in-depth analysis highlights the answer: nothing substantial. If the goal of depriving Assad of his sarin gas is to save human lives, then we have in effect done almost nothing to reach that goal. Assad has shown he is perfectly willing and perfectly capable of killing his own citizens with bombs and bullets. In fact, it seems he has an affinity for this manner of meting out death given that less than 1% of the dead were killed by gas. So by removing chemical weapons from the equation our progress rate is essentially 1%. Fantastic job.

Of course, the real question this raises is: what is our goal in Syria? I know what mine would be, but what is ours, what is America's goal? It doesn't appear as though we have one, which is why we so easily acquiesced to a deal that does nothing to serve our national interests. In fact, the headline of today's New York Times article is telling. Yes, we were in fact, outfoxed and out-maneuvered. We wasted an opportunity to take a global stand for human rights and instead bowed to incoherent logic and irrational reasoning about how Syria's woes are akin to Iraq. While we watch more and more innocent people are killed, our long-term strategic interests are put at risk, and a nefarious Russian autocrat comes off looking like someone who has helped avert a crisis when in fact it is our failure to act and save lives that is more likely to lead to future violence. Put simply, we were duped.

While Assad stalls and regroups, he will be resupplied from Russia. His rule will ultimately end even if he wins this conflict, but the atrocities committed by both sides and the total abdication of leadership from the world community will breed future generations of violent jihadis who will be threats to world peace and stability. Not only are we making the active decision NOT to save lives now, we are almost guaranteeing more violence in the future. We let ourselves succumb to flawed logic, poor reasoning, and a misplaced sense of morality.

It is a sad day when America refuses to stand on the side of human rights. It is an even sadder day when America refuses to stand with human rights because we were tricked by a Russian neo-czar who intimidates his own political opponents, jails them, and rules with an iron fist. This is the man to whom we have ceded the moral and political situation in Syria. Tragicomic.