Should we help Syria?

It seems to me that the entire “free world” is waiting, sitting on its hands, to see how Syria gets organized after the shocking and surprising ouster of Bashar al-Assad. Shouldn’t the developed world actively help instead of doing nothing, speculating and waiting for something bad to happen? By helping it could negotiate that a more democratic, inclusive state takes root, that all the chemical and other mass-destruction weapons are eradicated and the Russian bases on the Mediterranean are closed for good? 

I certainly realize that the situation in Syria is incredibly complex but it also reminds me of Russia in the context of the USSR implosion, when the international community should have intervened to help and just sat on the sidelines. It’s undeniable that the Syrian civil war has caused immense human suffering. 

A pacific and active intervention could help alleviate this suffering by providing humanitarian aid, protecting civilians, and supporting the delivery of essential services. Further, that conflict had destabilizing effects on the region, fueling the rise of extremism and contributing to the refugee crisis. 

By facilitating negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups, an active international engagement could help prevent further instability and mitigate regional security threats. It could also promote democracy and human rights by helping facilitate a political transition towards a more democratic and inclusive 

This would also prevent rogue politicians like Netanyhu from taking advantage of the situation, as he’s already done, conducting his own version of allegedly cleaning up certain weapons in that country and encroaching further on its territory. Sure, there are risks involved with such and intervention, but if we do nothing by not wanting to take some risks, the consequences might be worse. 

Some may fear that intervention might violate the country’s sovereignty or could escalate the conflict and lead to further violence and casualties. They’re also afraid that it could be politically divisive within the international community, but in term, doing nothing might lead to a new tyrannical government like we’ve seen everywhere after the largely aborted Arab spring. 

Helping Syria would be a cheap insurance premium to avoid another Middle-East problem that we’ll up paying at a very high cost. Perhaps our developed world has simply become too anti-Arab to see appreciate this...