The War of Western Failures: Hopes for Syria Fall with Aleppo

Russian strikes in Syria’s civil war support the government against Sunni majority rebels with bombs targeting civilian population centers, schools and hospitals. “Once upon a time Aleppo was the largest city in Syria, an economic powerhouse with a city center listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site,” notes Spiegel Online. The city lacks adequate supplies in food, fuel, medical aid and water. “In Aleppo, the West is faced with the ruins of its policy of inaction, which it has sold as diplomacy.” More than 10 million people have been displaced, some multiple times, and the article describes the fear of refugees waiting at the Turkish border for rescue or escape. The West has little choice but to hope for reason and diplomacy or do battle against Russia. “Diplomacy too has its price, particularly when it fails,” the lengthy article concludes. “The price of Western passivity is the endless suffering of people in Syria, the strengthening of Putin, divisions in Europe and the rise of the radicals.” – YaleGlobal