So Much For Reform

May 7, 2011


From the Financial Times Editorial Board:


Going from talk to action on Syria

The ferocity of President Bashar al-Assad's assault on the Syrian people means that no one can any longer cling to outdated hopes that he may bring reform to his country. As European leaders belatedly recognise the true nature of Mr Assad's regime, their hand-wringing is finally being replaced by a welcome clenching of fists.

Recent moves towards sanctions on Syria and its leaders may align Europe more closely with the US, which has long taken a tougher stance. The rhetoric of the foreign ministers of the UK, France and Italy has been shifting from calls for dialogue and condemnations of violence to signs of robust action.

For too long, many European leaders saw Mr Assad as a reformist. This vain hope justified pursuing strategic interests without worrying too much about his regime's murderous conduct. It persisted after Mr Assad aborted a thaw in which reformist thoughts were ephemerally allowed to flower. It survived the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, which a UN investigation has linked to the Syrian security apparatus and Mr Assad's family.

It is clear that outsiders cannot hope to influence developments inside Syria militarily in the way they are trying in Libya. But that is no reason to keep the kid gloves on. Tougher sanctions are overdue: since the Assad dictatorship is a commercial enterprise as much as a political one, the international community has ways to make the Assads pay a steep price for holding on to power through murder.

Countries that do not yet impose them should without delay place travel and financial sanctions on the individuals who hold the levers of power in Syria and their main beneficiaries. Those with sanctions in place should toughen them. The US has shown through its sanctions against Iran that it is possible effectively to freeze targets out of the international financial system. The UK and other hosts of major financial centres have a special responsibility in this regard.

The Assads may not be moved by sanctions. Yet even they rely on the support of henchmen. A referral to the International Criminal Court may strain such support, as may charges soon expected from the UN tribunal in the Hariri case.

Western countries responded slowly to the Arab spring. They turned their backs on Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak just in time for his ousting by a popular revolt. They are catching up by calling for Muammer Gaddafi, Libya's leader, and Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, to resign. It is time to add Mr Assad's name to the list.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011.