"Its a massacre and the world sits by and watches"

The situation in Syria is critical. Syrian government forces continue to attack the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs, where thousands of civilians remain trapped. Injured photographer, Paul Conry, escaped the area and reported on the imminent massacre from his hospital bed in London.

Syrian Death Toll Hits 7,500; 64 Killed in Massacre in Homs

UN Under-Secretary-General Lynn Pascoe reported to the UN Security Council today that the death toll in Syria has reached 7,500.  She estimated that around 100 people are being killed every day in Syria as President Bashar al-Assad’s regime intensifies its crackdown on opposition protestors. Disturbing news broke on Monday with the discovery of the bodies of at least 64 men dumped on the outskirts of Homs.  It is the largest mass killing to be committed thus far since protests broke out more than twelve months ago. The men were reportedly fleeing the city with their families when soldiers at a checkpoint ordered them onto four buses. Elderly passengers were eventually allowed off the bus and provided the witness testimony. The whereabouts of the women and children on the buses is still unknown.

Apartment building damaged by government bombardment. Photo: NY Times

Syria’s much beleaguered Arab Spring has dominated international headlines lately as the crackdown on the year-long protests intensifies.  Efforts by the international community to quell Assad’s crackdown have achieved only small successes unequal to the task of preventing further violence. The EU effectively strangled Syria’s economy through an oil boycott, but the UN has been unable to pass similar measures against Assad’s regime in the UN Security Council because of Russian and Chinese vetoes.  Strong allies of the Assad regime, Russia and China most recently blocked a resolution aimed at supporting Arab League demands for President Assad to cede power.

The League of Arab States (LAS) has taken unprecedented measures against its former member state. The Arab League formerly suspended Syria’s membership in November. As part of a peace deal it brokered in December, the Arab League sent more than 60 human rights observers to monitor Syria’s progress in implementing the deal’s conditions.  A month later all of the observers were withdrawn for their own safety as Assad’s regime violated the peace deal with increasing violence. In response, the Arab League called on Assad to step.

The actions of the EU, UN, and League of Arab States, regardless of their effectiveness, are encouraging signs of the normalization of the principle of Responsibility to Protect (I promise I will post on R2P soon).  Still, the violence continues. Government forces continue to bombard civilian areas of protest cities with heavy artillery.  Last week, French photojournalist Remi Ochlik and American war correspondent Marie Colvin were killed in a similar action in Homs. Syria’s government has reportedly used gunships to bomb villages and conducted door-to-door searches to find defected soldiers.  Meanwhile, snipers on city rooftops continue to wreak havoc on protests, shooting unarmed protestors in the street. It is estimated that at least 91 people have been killed today in Syria.  

An Hour Before Dawn

Welcome to my blog, An Hour Before Dawn. As a political science major in college and concerned citizen, I have spent more hours than I care to count listening to the counterproductive, hysterical, and divisive rhetoric of media personalities, politicians, and academic leaders. There is no denying that many of us have fallen on hard times recently and that we are all living with less personal security now than we are accustomed to. As I continue to search for work some seven months after graduating, I understand the stress and even panic of trying to find my way in an increasingly uncertain world.

I recently completed an internship working in Washington DC with a wonderful anti-genocide organization, United to End Genocide. While in DC I observed the Occupy Movement in McPherson Square at the height of the media’s coverage of the movement. I should say now that I am not a supporter of the Occupy Movement or the Tea Party although I appreciate their general sentiments. You will not soon see me wearing a tri-corner hat or carrying an “I am the 99%” sign, but I am genuinely happy that Americans are abandoning apathy for organized action, even as I question their views. I fear, however, that both movements have played straight into the hands of the news media and both sides of the aisle, perpetuating the increasingly paranoid message: we are so divided from our fellow countrymen that our society is now on the brink of self-destruction.

I remain a pragmatic optimist and avid reader of history. You don’t have to look back more than two generations to see what our society is capable of surviving. Members of the World War II generation were still children when the stock market crashed and they grew up without expectations of comfort or wealth. They were in their late teens and early twenties when the Japanese attacked at Pearl Harbor, and they went straight into the armed services and factories to fight fascist forces crushing Europe and Asia. Many of exemplary members of that generation fought for freedom around the world while it was denied to them at home. The generation survived hell and they did it with fortitude, unity, and class.

It embarrasses me to see the way the succeeding generations have failed to cultivate the same personal resilience or maintain even basic decorum.  The degradation of our public discourse is shocking. Our fear of the future is laughable.  If our grandparents survived the Great Depression, then we can handle a recession with grace and austerity.  If they could beat the combined fascist powers in Europe and Asia, then we can face down the still looming threat from Islamist terrorists. Our world continues to be ravaged by poverty and war. Genocide and mass atrocities, issues of particular concern to me, continues to devastate communities across the world. Yet, we are better able now than ever before to end these horrific cycles of violence and want. As the comedic genius Jon Stewart declared, “We are living in hard times, not end times”.

As the traditional Irish saying goes, “the night is darkest before the dawn”.  I dedicate this blog to that sweet and hopeful sentiment.

Thank you for subscribing,

Krista McCarthy