Inside the Obama administration, a debate has emerged on if and when the United States ought to officially call for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to step down from power. President Obama, a supreme rhetorician and one of the most accomplished public speakers of his time, has not only been unusually reticent but also out-of-step with a worldwide movement toward democracy that he in part inspired over the course of his historic 2008 campaign for the White House..
In the case of Assad, both the US and Europe have apparently decided to place strategic considerations before the human rights. Rather than demand Assad's resignation hours after his despotic regime first began firing live ammunition into crowds of unarmed, peaceful protesters, Obama and his advisers have offered only criticism.
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Since Syrians bravely began challenging their illegitimate government - one that has used intimidation and torture to remain in power since the days of Hafez Al-Assad (Bashar's father, 1930-2000) - more than 2,000 people have been murdered by Syrian security forces in brazen attacks on public gatherings. As young, politically-conscious women have been at the forefront of these courageous expressions of hope and change, they have suffered and died disproportionately from the crackdown on dissent.
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Three and a half years ago, the entire world embraced Barack Obama, a little-known junior US Senator from the state of Illinois, for his ability to clarify the issues of the day and rouse people to seek greater justice in the world. It was he who stated, "Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." The Syrian people have clearly spoken. They want to rid their country of its cruel dictatorship and usher in a new age of democracy.
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There is nothing to debate. Although woefully late, President Obama and European heads of state must immediately denounce the Syrian government, call for Assad's resignation and ask the International Criminal Court in The Hague to indict Assad and his henchmen for crimes against humanity. Anything less would be unethical and a rank form of hypocrisy.
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Millions and millions of people are standing up for change from Lisbon to Damascus. Why do you hesitate to stand with them, Mr. President?
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(Photo: Desperate Syrians pose a sign asking for UN intervention)
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J Roquen