Security Council Condemns Houla Massacre but No Tangible Measures on the Horizon

The United Nations Security Council has condemned the slaughter of 116 Syrians, including more than 30 children, by the forces of President Bashar Al-Asad, at the city of Houla, but failed to authorize any action in defense of the besieged civilian population. Despite calls for armed intervention to end the carnage that has left more than 10,000 dead in a little more than one year, Western governments expressed shock at the latest atrocity, but failed to honor calls by Syrian opposition for help on the ground. On Sunday, at least 30 were killed by artillery in the city of Hama, where Al-Asad’s father killed as many as 50,000 during an uprising 1982.