NYT Talks Tough: "Syria is getting away with murder in Lebanon"

The NYT published an editorial today lambasting the UN Security Council for not being more aggressive with Syria and the allegations it played a major role in the assassination of Rafik Hariri, former three-term Prime Minister of Lebanon.

Some Council members, including the United States, would have liked to do more to honor the urgent requests for help delivered last week by Lebanon's prime minister, Fouad Siniora. But they ran into a wall of apologetics erected mainly by Russia, China and Algeria.

Since the Council can take credible action only on the basis of broad consensus, Washington and its like-minded partners - Britain, France and Denmark - had to accept a watered-down resolution as the best that could be achieved at this time. But this necessary compromise will do little to convince Damascus or anyone else that the international community is capable of taking effective action against a regime that exports terrorism and tramples with impunity on a neighboring country's sovereignty.
[...]
Syria's deadly meddling in Lebanon presented an ideal opportunity for the Security Council to show it was capable of taking effective diplomatic steps to defend vulnerable member states and punish brazen international terrorism. It is too bad that Russia, China and Algeria failed to recognize the fundamental issues at stake.

source: NYT