This is with reference to the report “Syrian presidential election a ‘farce’” (May 16). It is good to read that US Secretary of State John Kerry has termed the Syrian elections “farce.” The question is what is the international community will do about it. Paying a mere lip service won’t help. Issuing statements of condemnation will not harm Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. The world inaction has only emboldened him.
It seems that the world powers were only concerned about the chemical weapons. Had the world acted swiftly, lives of thousands of Syrians could have been saved. Instead of punishing Iran for supporting this brutal regime, the West particularly the United States offered an olive branch to Tehran.
This shows that the West does not care about the plight of Syrians. The western governments only act in self-interests. Despite tall claims about human rights, they have miserably failed to protect the rights of the civilians in Syria. The delay in action against Assad helped pave the way for other actors enter the scene thus aggravating the situation in the war-torn country. The Syrian issue should be resolved at the earliest by toppling the Assad regime through a joint military action. The world powers should realize that Syrian conflict could spell disaster for the Middle East, if not resolved at the earliest.
A chaotic Middle East is not in the interest of the world in general. This is one of the most important regions of the world. Due to globalization, our interests are intertwined. Ukraine presents a good example. The European Union is hesitant in fully supporting the US actions against Russia because of its economic interests. If there is turmoil in the Middle East, it will affect the whole world not only the region. — Shehzad Alam, Dammam
Act before it’s too late
