Why Obama Is Succeeding in the Mideast

The recent massacres of hundreds of Syrian citizens in the towns of Houla and al-Qubair, many of them children, has focused the world’s attention on Russia, which has been charged with shielding the Bashar al-Assad regime from international pressure. Yet China also plays a crucial role and may be receptive to arguments that it should use its influence to persuade Assad’s forces to exercise restraint. Russia has been singled out by Western critics for its intransigence on regime change and its continued arms sales to the Assad regime. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has chastised “very strong opposition” from Moscow that “makes it harder to put together an international coalition.” Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has called for pressure on Russia, which he labeled America’s “number one geopolitical foe.”