The United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) has confirmed reports of a Syrian government-led massacre in the village of Houla, near the oft-besieged city of Homs, leading to swift condemnation.
The resolution, after some debate among the permanent members, invokes Chapter VII of the UN Charter, making clear the binding nature of the Council’s decisions and demands.
As of 11:20 AM EDT on April 14th, 2012, the first resolution on Syria, Resolution 2042, was adopted by the United Nations Security Council, after a year of protests and conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic.
The monthly Presidency of the UN Security Council has made its way down through the alphabet once more, landing the United States of America in the driver’s seat of the Council.
As the Human Rights Council meet halfway around the world, I find myself compelled to ponder on the place that the United States holds in the human rights community.
The idea of a renewed shooting war between the two should be enough to raise a greater level of concern than is currently being expressed by the international community.
Russia and China again voted against a Human Rights Council resolution condemning Syrian violence. Will their stubbornness continue to carry over into the Security Council?
