International players fiddle while Syria burns

Abstract

The UN Human Rights office estimated that more than 60,000 people have died in Syria's bloody civil war, surpassing the Syrian opposition's estimates by one-third. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay faulted the entire international community, including the UN, for having 'fiddled around the edges while Syria burns.' As the violence threatens to engulf the region, the question remains what can be done to halt the slaughter of innocent civilians.