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BBC. (February 27, 2012). Syria: Red crescent bid to evacuate Homs journalists fails. Retrieved

from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17182279

Sarah Colegrove

News Report: Syria: Red Crescent bid to evacuate Homs journalists fail

On Monday, February 27, 2012, the Syrian Red Crescent was able to reach Baba Amr

where two wounded journalists from Western nations (France and the United Kingdom) were

stranded. However, the vehicles left without them, as the journalists wished to stay with other

evacuees to show support and solidarity. The journalists were injured during a recent

bombardment that the Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC) said that 125 people were killed

in the attacks across Syria. In the same attack where the journalists were injured, two more

journalists (from the United States and France) were killed. The Red Cross continues to try and

move evacuees to safety and was able to get three Syrians out even though the journalists refused

to leave. The European Union has responded to these attacks by putting even more sanctions on

Syria. These sanctions include, a freeze on the European-held assets of the Syrian central bank,

travel bans on seven close associates of President Bashar al-Assad, a ban on cargo flights from

Syria into the EU, and restrictions on the trade in gold and precious metals (BBC 2012).

The conflict in Syria has caused international leaders trouble. They have had to try and

decide whether and how they should intervene in the issue. The European Unions sanctions are

an example of various IGOs and NGOs that are trying to intervene without using military force

in hopes of causing Syria to think twice about the horrible acts that occurring within the nation.

This force is a good example of hard power being used that does not involve military force. The

EU is trying to cut off any interaction with the countrys leaders by not economically interacting

or allowing them to travel through their nations, planes, boats, and other forms of travel.

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However, this use of hard power of the EU towards Syria shows that in the international

arena, one cannot always find immediate results when it comes to the use of power. Syria has not

responded to the sanctions that have been imposed upon it, except to continue destroying human

life as they were doing before. Maybe once more time has passed, Syria will respond to the hard

power that the EU has shown, but who knows? They might not ever show any sign of response

until other nations begin to militarily respond to the situation. Hopefully, something or group

will be able to intervene in a way that will stop the destruction of more human life.