Hypertension

I have been watching with growing concern the situation in Homs. It seems to me that the Western powers were quicker to react when it came to helping the Libyan people attain their freedom from oppression - why, then, should the Syrians, who clearly do not want anything more to do with their current regime, have to suffer alone?

I am aware that my knowledge of the in’s and out’s of diplomacy and international affairs is not tempered with the intimate knowledge of those in Government, however - as an observant citizen, I do feel that the West’s response to such crises very much depends on our own interests, as much as the overall interest of mankind. For example, we have been happy to attack and remain in Iraq and Afghanistan for many years due to the threat of WMD’s, while letting countries like North Korea continue on their merry way toward attaining them. I understand that outcomes must be weighed but it does seem that our leaders are engaged in a cynical game of risk when it comes to the balance of power in the world.

I strongly feel that we should either support these uprisings as a whole, or support none. How can we in good conscience look at the Syrians dying in the streets after helping the Libyans? Are the Libyans more valuable human beings? Or is it the case that Libya as a nation was more important economically to the West? 

At the very least, I would expect the Syrian diplomats here to be expelled. I feel that their remaining in the UK is an insult to those of us who find the regime’s actions disgusting, and an insult to those dying under its brutal heel.