08-28-2013, 08:42 PM
China's been speaking up, though not as aggressively or directly as Russia.
Chinese leaders are objecting to Western-backed calls for military strikes against Syria when the UN investigations are still underway and there has been nothing produced by the US in terms of the "proof" alluded to by Mr. Kerry (proof that Assad and the loyalists are responsible).
Russia and China have been staunch and vocal that strikes without the UN Security Council agreement would be considered a violation of international law.
France, the UK, the US...are citing "humanitarian" exceptions to the international law as legal justification to act quickly, with the US said to be planning to launch sea-based cruise missiles at Syrian military bases.
The loudest voices are coming from Russian and US leaders, from all of the news pieces that I've read.
Russia's Foreign Minister warns that the US has used such rhetoric and claims before to ratchet up support for strikes without UN Security Council support. That's undeniable and has been confirmed as fact; it's what was done to justify invading Iraq under the false pretense that Hussein was harboring weapons of mass destruction (US said there was proof, Iraq said it was bullshit, when the UN inspected later - it was bullshit).
The US continues to insist on moving forward on "moral" grounds and claims of proof not revealed or disclosed to anyone else.
In response to Russia's recent statements, US leaders cancelled their Syria-crisis meeting with Russian leaders (wrongly, IMO).
Sad as hell that so many Syrians have been killed in their civil war; whether it be by knife, gun, chemicals... It's been going on for years now; I really hope that the US and its allies will wait to see what the UN investigation uncovers before taking military action. That's a reasonable request by many western citizens and the leaders of some UN member countries.
Reasonable or not, doesn't look likely that request is going to be granted.
Chinese leaders are objecting to Western-backed calls for military strikes against Syria when the UN investigations are still underway and there has been nothing produced by the US in terms of the "proof" alluded to by Mr. Kerry (proof that Assad and the loyalists are responsible).
Russia and China have been staunch and vocal that strikes without the UN Security Council agreement would be considered a violation of international law.
France, the UK, the US...are citing "humanitarian" exceptions to the international law as legal justification to act quickly, with the US said to be planning to launch sea-based cruise missiles at Syrian military bases.
The loudest voices are coming from Russian and US leaders, from all of the news pieces that I've read.
Russia's Foreign Minister warns that the US has used such rhetoric and claims before to ratchet up support for strikes without UN Security Council support. That's undeniable and has been confirmed as fact; it's what was done to justify invading Iraq under the false pretense that Hussein was harboring weapons of mass destruction (US said there was proof, Iraq said it was bullshit, when the UN inspected later - it was bullshit).
The US continues to insist on moving forward on "moral" grounds and claims of proof not revealed or disclosed to anyone else.
In response to Russia's recent statements, US leaders cancelled their Syria-crisis meeting with Russian leaders (wrongly, IMO).
Sad as hell that so many Syrians have been killed in their civil war; whether it be by knife, gun, chemicals... It's been going on for years now; I really hope that the US and its allies will wait to see what the UN investigation uncovers before taking military action. That's a reasonable request by many western citizens and the leaders of some UN member countries.
Reasonable or not, doesn't look likely that request is going to be granted.