Obama trains his sight on Bahsar Al-Assad and Syria

Today, following the brutal crack-down of the Syrian population, the United States under executive orders of president Obama imposed sanctions on Bashar Al-Assad and a host of other top ranking Syrian officials on charges of human rights abuses, for the first time and expecting the European Union follows this move as well. Russia's resistence and opposition to the sanctions, of course, was well expected as per their track record of support of petty dictators in the region.

So far the announcement of these sanctions appears to move according to the expected play book. However how long and to what extent the west is willing to pursue this line before they step it up to more incisive measures is anyone’s guess. But the situation will be definitely followed very closely by one and all, especially the tyrants in Iran.

However, amidst all these events, it is very curious how the other Arab nations have kept quiet and have not uettered a word in objection to the Syrian violence against its own citizens.

On a side note, one may be forgiven to question the motives of the west for the duality of their approach towards, frankly, two similar situations of despotic tyrants resorting to extreme violence and murder against their own citizens. On the one hand, in Lybia, the west quickly moves to the more proactive phase of 'no fly zone' and then to bombardment and direct attacks on Lybian troops (including attempts on taking out the Lybian ruler, Gaddafi) and on the other hand, we see a more reticent and patient attitude is adopted in case of Assad and Syria. Could it be the presence of oil in Lybia which prompts the west to take thier more aggressive role, as opposed to Syria's lack of oil?