The Killing in Syria Will Continue Even Without Chemical Weapons

The killing in Syria will continue even without chemical weapons. Moscow and Washington must make a fresh attempt at a diplomatic solution.

The United States could have demanded more, but it could not prevail against Russia: A U.N. resolution authorizing automatic punitive military action if the Assad regime does not cooperate with chemical weapons disarmament? Moscow would never have agreed to that. The fact that a compromise has even been reached seems amazing, given the paralysis of the U.N. Security Council up to now. The West wants Syria’s chemical weapons to be destroyed, not just so that the regime cannot use them against its own people, but also to prevent them from falling into the hands of jihadi rebels.

If the chemical weapons are destroyed, this would remove a deadly element from the Syrian battlefield. People will still be killed anyway, but by tanks, planes and guns. The regime and the rebels are perched on a military crisis. Moscow and Washington must act quickly and exploit the thaw with Tehran to attempt a diplomatic solution to the conflict. With every day that passes, Syria sinks deeper and deeper into blood and misery.