Will Obama act to rein in Assad?

It seems the horrendous pictures showing bodies of Syrian children lined up in a field hospital are inadequate to convince the international community that the Syrian regime has exceeded all imagined redlines.
A brutal regime that has killed so many people in cold blood and appears to continue the genocide must be removed as fast as possible.
Simply blaming Bashar Assad for these atrocities has done very little to deter him. It would not be unfair to equally blame the international community for the plight of the Syrians as its approach has only emboldened Assad to continue with his barbaric war.
Just a few months ago, Assad forces had reportedly used chemical weapons on a small scale. Both Britain and France had confirmed the incidents. Back then, the entire world held its breath to see whether US President Obama was willing to act against the heinous crime or not. The dominant assumption was if Obama vacillated and did not make good on his threats, then the Syrian regime would be emboldened to use chemical attacks on a larger scale. Unfortunately, the US administration failed to punish Assad for his deeds.
Surely, the Syrian regime tested the US and the western resolve on more than one occasion. The failure of the western countries to make a difference in the ongoing conflict in Syria further convinced Assad’s allies that they could interfere in the ongoing violent fight and get away with it. Hezbollah sent fighters to retake a strategically important town of Al-Qusayr. It seems that Assad and his allies came to the realization that they had little to fear from the Obama administration.
Fearing it might get dragged in the Syrian imbroglio, the Obama administration called for sanctions and provided the anti-Assad forces with aid. The US acted very cautiously by outsourcing the provision of arms to Turkey and Qatar. And today, after more than two years the brutality of Assad’s forces continues unabated.
The latest chemical attacks on innocent Syrians may not be a game changer. The Obama administration rushed to urge the Assad’s government to cooperate with a UN team to investigate the use of chemical weapons. It is highly doubtful that Assad’s regime would honestly comply with this demand. Assad and his allies are almost certain that Obama would not take escalatory steps as long as the Syrian opposition remains divided and as long as the radical Sunni fighters make headlines. Obama’s declared position and his stated fears of the Nusra front and any group affiliated with Al-Qaeda only played in Assad’s hand. Unwittingly, America’s continuous warning against Nusra Front frightened the Syrian minorities and Christians who have coalesced around the Assad regime for protection from the Sunni radical elements.
The dominant view in the Middle East is that the United States has opted not to do anything even after the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against anti-regime fighters. In a bid make up for its failure to rein in Assad over the accusations of his forces’ use of chemical weapons, Washington promised to supply weapons to the fighters fighting the cruel regime. This rhetorical support has done little to alter the military balance on the ground. Worse, US’ empty warning can only further undermine its strategic position in the Middle East.
It is hard to avoid the conclusion that Washington has already lost its credibility in the Syrian crisis. Many in the Obama administration believe that the alternative to Assad regime can be worse! Therefore, a few in the region these days look up at Washington to step in and reverse the tide of the war in Syria. When top military figures such as Martin Dempsey sent a letter to the Congress a weeks ago making the case that Washington should stay out the conflict, then it would be hard for Obama to do anything other than condemnation and urging the Syrian government to cooperate with the UN team.
In short, the international community’s position does not make sense. To many observers, it is obvious that the Assad’s regime would not hesitate from taking draconian measures against those resisting its cruelty. It remains to be seen if the US will behave differently this time around.

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