The Kingdom has led the Arab world in condemning the horrific incident in Syria and called for stern global action against the Assad regime.
For far too long, the international community has failed to face up to the appalling events in Syria.
Despite the seemingly decisive words of his Cairo speech at the very start of his presidency, Barack Obama has demonstrated extreme caution, most particularly in confronting the monstrous Assad regime.
When Washington drew its line in the sand, saying that if Damascus used poison gas on its own people, the US attitude would change decisively, there was very probably the earnest hope that Assad and his creatures would do no such thing. That the dictator nevertheless last week launched just such an attack on the defenseless citizens of a Damascus suburb, demonstrated, not only the contempt with which he views world opinion, but also constitutes a direct challenge to Obama.
Now the Americans, it seems in company with the French and the British, are obliged to take notice of the overwhelming view in the Arab world, which has been led by the Kingdom.
This was expressed on Tuesday when Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal came up with one of the harshest condemnations of events in Syria.
Calling for a “decisive and serious” stand against Bashar Assad for the massacre of his own people, Prince Saud said that it was the responsibility of the international community to bring this humanitarian tragedy to an end.
The Assad regime, said Prince Saud had lost its identity, to the extent that it was no longer a part of the Syrian civilization that has contributed so much to the Arab world.
Yet even now, as the US at last prepares to strike at the Damascus dictatorship, there are questions. The Russians and Chinese remain opposed to military action.
In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin has gone on record, expressing his doubts that the regime really did launch the chemical attack.
The weapons inspectors are still conducting their tests and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is pleading for them to be allowed to complete their work.
The secretary-general is also emphasizing that a Security Council resolution will be necessary for the international community to act against Assad. Moscow and Beijing seem sure to obstruct any call for decisive action.
The UN chemical weapons team, meanwhile, is likely to continue to encounter more of the disruption that forced them to abandon part of their investigations on Tuesday.
The regime of course will deny that they had anything to do with the sniper fire that obliged UN inspectors to withdraw. Yet it was exactly this same tactic that was deployed to obstruct members of the Arab League mission in the early days of this bloody conflict.
Obama may yet find an excuse to avoid the decisive action for which the majority of Syrians are crying out in their agony. If Russia and China refuse to back a resolution authorizing the use of force against the Assad regime, will the US president genuinely seek another way to do what clearly needs to be done?
The time for expressions of horror and disgust has passed.
The time for the wringing of hands in despair is over.
The time for yet more threats and warnings has gone.
Now is the moment to put the promised retribution into effect.
Now is the time to demonstrate to Assad and his people and all those who support him, that there is a terrible price to pay for the regime’s loathsome treatment of its people.
As Prince Saud made perfectly clear, the international community and the Arab world in particular is waiting for action.
