Al Jazeera.
The Russian and Chinese veto of
the UN Security Council draft resolution that would have declared the
situation in Syria a threat to international peace and security,
extended the UN diplomatic mission headed by Kofi Annan, and set the
stage for new sanctions and possibly UN-authorised military action was
hardly surprising. More important, it is not all that significant.
What explains the veto is not just the opposition of Russia and China
to the use of military force to unseat the Assad regime - something
which would have required another Security Council resolution in any
event - but that they also are uneasy with anything that legitimises
international involvement in what they see as the domestic affairs of
sovereign countries. Both the Russian and Chinese governments fear
precedents that could be turned against them.
In contrast, the United States and many others believe outsiders have
a responsibility to act if governments mistreat their citizens. If
nothing else, it is time for a moratorium on the use of the phrase
"international community" in situations such as this one where no such
consensus exists.
