Is Syria Turning into Genocide

Syria’s growing revolt has turned even uglier the past few days.

President Bashar al-Assad announced amnesties and released a few hundred political prisoners earlier this week, and formed a committee charged with opening a dialogue about the political future of the country, but protesters say it is too little too late.

Central Syrian towns - Rastan, Talbiseh and Teir Maaleh, which have had their electricity cut and their water reserves bombed - are cut off from the outside world while they are being pummelled with artillery and tank fire.

Estimates of up to 10,000 detained demonstrators and 1,100 killed, including 30 children, some of whom may have been tortured, are making the demonstrators more determined than ever to overturn al-Assad.

A group of Syrian exiles met in Turkey earlier this week to try to find a solution to the ongoing terror. Among the participants was a Muslim Brotherhood representative.

The United States says al-Assad’s amnesty is not enough.

Russia says that the protesters should cooperate with al-Assad because the consequences of his overthrow would be “catastrophic.”

With the images of Radko Mladic and the massacre at Srebenica still fresh in our minds after his recent arrest and extradition to The Hague to stand trial for genocide, I am tempted to believe that we are witnessing another genocide of sorts in Syria.

When will the UN, Europe and the United States step up to their responsibilities and make an active effort to stop al-Assad before he completely decimates his people in the name of stability.