The people of Syria fighting to overthrow a harsh dictator must feel abandoned by the world community.
Their Arab Spring began in mid-March, not long after civil unrest engulfed Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and other countries. In Tunisia, longtime President El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in January 2011, a month after Tunisians took to the streets. In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak resigned on Feb. 11 after more than a month of protests, but not before he unleashed police against demonstrators. In Libya, protests began in mid-February and escalated into civil war. A month later, U.S., British and French military operations helped Libyan rebels drive Col. Moammar Gadhafi from power by mid-summer.
But in Syria, for those people who have set their hearts on overthrowing more than 40 years of authoritarian rule, the quest of freedom has taken far longer and has cost far more. Hundreds, if not thousands, have been killed as President Bashar Assad ratcheted up the military response to demonstrators, sending tanks and snipers to cities and neighborhoods.
Many world organizations have condemned Assad's crackdown, but the response has been primarily diplomatic. In December the Arab League sent observers to Syria and proposed a resolution. The league pulled out its monitors in January and Syria denounced its peace proposal. On Feb. 4, a United Nations Security Council plan to end the violence was blocked by Russia and China. That day Assad stepped up his attacks on demonstrators.
While it has not been easy for photojournalists or anyone with a camera to safely document the violence, some news photographs began emerging from Syria last week – images of protests, of rebels, of tanks and a 10-year-old's funeral.
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