Will the UN get involved in Syria?

Syria civil war threat grows after Houla massacre
31 May 2012 Last updated at 15:42 GMT


Destruction in Rastan on 16 May (image from Syrian opposition Shaam News Network)

Is Syria edging nearer to civil war? The BBC's Paul Wood, who has spent the past three weeks reporting undercover inside Syria, says the threat is growing.

"God will take revenge for us" - it's a declaration heard in the Sunni villages around Homs, from people who feel powerless, desperate, and bitter.

This has not yet become a war of neighbour against neighbour, village against village; majority Sunnis against the ruling Alawite minority, their Shia and Christian allies. But there has been such terrible loss in some communities that it could become that.

The massacre in Houla was different in scale, but not in nature, from what has been happening in this part of Syria throughout this year. The pattern: the army shells a rebel-held area; then the paramilitary shabiha, "the ghosts", go in, cutting throats.

When we first heard wild stories of people being "slaughtered like sheep" - several months ago now - it seemed like hysteria, later to be retold as propaganda. But there are many bodies bearing such wounds and numerous eyewitnesses to such crimes.

Back in March, I spoke to a man who described hiding in a field and watching while members of his family were killed, soldiers and shabiha holding them on the ground, a boot to the back, a knife to the throat. He watched his 12-year-old son die in agony in this way. Houla is terrible but not unique. ....<cont>

Personally I would have far preferred that the huge amount of money my own country has spent on the futile wars in Iraq & Afghanistan had been spent on the UN instead, for peaceful purposes.

The US spends billions every month on our defense which I "know" is a waste of our treasure. We need jobs in the US; infrastructure upkeep, maintenance, and building will do well to help our country's economy, but that's been true for the past 60 years. We blow our military and treasure on useless wars like Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Total waste of our resources.

Now the question; how can we change our government to spend our money wiser?

Just be a good little American and run and get your lube.

(p.s. I also want to make it clear that it was you (as the instigator of this thread a while back) who awarded Foofie his red ribbon prize for the "best response".
Nothing to do with me. )

Foofie has a history of trying to change the subject, his faux outrage at JTT's supposed homophobia, is a useful way to avoid discussing the pernicious influence of the arms industry.

It's a rather pathetic attempt to grab the moral highground, and, I'm sorry to say, you've fallen for his sucker punch.

Using a homosexual sex analogy,

He's of the opinion that the best solution against Syria is to starve it to death by persuading Russia and our allies to bankrupt Syria by embargoes and sanctions.

How can the UN become a "more democratic" organization when China and Russia represents 40% of the votes? Get real!

That one country can stop an action by all the others dosent make sense,

The reason I use one liners is to be concise. I for one dont read a 15 paragraph post. If you cant state your opinion in just a few sentences than one shouldent post in my opinion.

I bet he's repeating his old song a few more times.

Images broadcast on Channel Two last week of an ultra-Orthodox man in Beit Shemesh spitting at a woman led to his arrest on Saturday night. He was freed by magistrates on Sunday.

The same broadcast featured a religious eight-year-old girl terrified to walk the short distance between her home and school, since she is subject to verbal abuse of ultra-Orthodox men who claim her attire is not sufficiently “modest.”