Moisés Naím on the fear of Syria's weapons arsenal

The demonstrations and unrest in Syria continue undiminished. At least seven people were shot by the regime's security forces at the weekend. But unlike in Libya, fear is preventing the West from intervening here, author Moisés Naím concludes in the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore: "Why are the US and Europe bombing Tripoli with missiles but Damascus only with words? ... Because Syria is stronger than Libya militarily. The Syrian military is among the best equipped in the Middle East. The country possesses chemical and biological weapons. Its paramilitary forces are among the thirteen strongest in the world. ... Then there's the exhaustion factor. Libya has quenched the little thirst the US had left for fighting wars that don't affect its own vital interests. The Syrian dissidents are paying the price for the US's long and costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the intervention in Libya. Washington's military support for distant regions will be more limited and selective from now on. Without the US, however, Europe doesn't exist when it comes to waging wars. So the Syrian dissidents are basically on their own."

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