Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy
Stop the Hand-Wringing About Aleppo
What's happening in Syria is a tragedy — but nobody has ever been willing to do what's necessary to stop it.
Political leaders across the West piously lined up last week to identify the fall of Aleppo as a stain on our collective conscience. The West, they have said, should have done more to stop the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Syria.
At a purely humanitarian level, this is obviously true. States can always do more to deliver humanitarian aid to people on the ground. But in a military sense, the notion that the West should have "done more" is fantastical and learns exactly the wrong lesson from this carnival of carnage.
If there is a lesson for the West from the post-Cold War era of liberal interventionism, it is this: Either intervene decisively and be invested for the long term — or stay out....
Continue reading (log in may be required): http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/12/19/stop-the-hand-wringing-about-aleppo/
For more information on this publication:
Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:
Simpson, Emile.“Stop the Hand-Wringing About Aleppo.” Foreign Policy, December 19, 2016.
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What's happening in Syria is a tragedy — but nobody has ever been willing to do what's necessary to stop it.
Political leaders across the West piously lined up last week to identify the fall of Aleppo as a stain on our collective conscience. The West, they have said, should have done more to stop the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Syria.
At a purely humanitarian level, this is obviously true. States can always do more to deliver humanitarian aid to people on the ground. But in a military sense, the notion that the West should have "done more" is fantastical and learns exactly the wrong lesson from this carnival of carnage.
If there is a lesson for the West from the post-Cold War era of liberal interventionism, it is this: Either intervene decisively and be invested for the long term — or stay out....
Continue reading (log in may be required): http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/12/19/stop-the-hand-wringing-about-aleppo/
- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
Recommended
Report - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Challenging Biases and Assumptions in Analysis: Could Israel Have Averted Intelligence Failure?
Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy
It's Not Too Late for Restrained U.S. Foreign Policy
Analysis & Opinions - Brookings Institution
When Ukraine Set Course for Europe
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Analysis & Opinions - New Straits Times
Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War
Report - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Challenging Biases and Assumptions in Analysis: Could Israel Have Averted Intelligence Failure?
Analysis & Opinions - The National Interest
Is Iran's Strategic Patience at an End?