The Cost of Inaction in Syria

This week’s grim anniversary of the Syrian uprising is an opportunity for some to talk about the “failure” of the outside world to end the bloody conflict, but a contrary assessment is just as valid. Naturally, the standard interpretation cites incidents of failure: the ban on sophisticated weapons for the armed opposition, long before hard-line Islamists expanded their influence; international conferences and meetings that have issued largely toothless threats and ultimatums; the absence of serious, behind-the-scenes diplomacy; and the inability to treat an exploding refugee crisis. But while these are termed failures, there are those in the West and the international community who are extremely happy to use a shortsighted calculus of “success.”