In January 2007 Russia and China vetoed a resolution against the Burmese military junta in Myanmar. In July 2008 both Russia and China rejected sanctions against the Robert Mugabe's odious regime in Zimbabwe. I was not surprised that Russia and China have vetoed a European-backed UN Security Council Resolution that threatened sanctions against the Syrian regime if it did not immediately halt its military crackdown against civilians. The resolution would have been the first such legally binding move adopted by the Security Council since the Syrian Regime began using its military machine against protesters in mid-March in the town of Deraa.
The European sponsors of the resolution had tried to avoid a veto by watering down the language on sanctions three times, to the point where the word "sanctions" was deleted. India, South Africa, Brazil and Lebanon abstained. The four abstainers have some explaining to do.
According to the London Guardian "Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, told the council after the vote that his country did not support the Assad regime or the violence but opposed the resolution because it was based on a philosophy of confrontation, contained an ultimatum of sanctions and was against a peaceful settlement.
China's ambassador, Li Bandong, said his country was concerned about the violence and wanted reforms but opposed the resolution because sanctions, or the threat of sanctions, do not help the situation in Syria but rather complicates the situation".
Of course such justifications are feeble lies. Russia and China feel confident that Bashar al-Assad will survive, cling to power and continue to be a good friend with both powers.
What message does this double action give to the people of Syria? What does it tell the Arab Street about Russia and China?
My reading of the Arab Press, Social Media and the Television broadcasts, I can say that the Syrian people are seething with anger at the Russian and Chinese blocking of the UN Security Council Resolution. The Arab Street is equally furious. The veto has been an abuse of power and is a Public Relation Disaster for Moscow and Beijing. William Hague the British Foreign Secretary described the decision as "deeply mistaken and regrettable".
The people of the Middle East see it like this; both Russia and China are giving the green light to the butchers of Damascus to carry on killing pro-democracy demonstrators. Russia and China stand with the tyrant against the people. Let us not forget that neither of the two so-called super powers gives a fig about freedom, democracy or human rights.
By their actions Russia and China will have no place in a new democratic Middle East. Their action has debunked the myth that only the USA and Western Europe are propping up the dictators of the Middle East.
Russia and China have lost Libya because they supported Muammar Gaddafi until the last minute then switched their support to the National Transitional Council when they realized that their man was doomed.
Russia and China are playing a dangerous game by backing the tyrannical regime of Syria. It escaped the notice of these two world giants that Bashar al Assad's regime is waging a brutal war against his own people. Since mid March over 3200 protesters have been killed by the Syrian security forces. Thousands have been detained, beaten and tortured to death. Hundreds of injured were snatched from their hospital beds to be murdered by the much feared security thugs also known as Shabbiha.
The Arab Street has been disillusioned. Russian and Chinese flags have been burnt in various Syrian towns.
The Libyan and Syrian people have now discovered who their real friends are. In the final analysis Russia and China are the real losers because of their short-sighted policies of defending the killers of Damascus.
You will be forgiven if you think that China and Russia have learnt their lesson from the Libyan experience. No, they have not. They are repeating the same catastrophic errors with Syria. The Syrian regime is going to fall sooner or later. It has lost the support of its people and most of the Arab Street. Russia and China have decided to stand against the Arab Spring Tsunami and stop the clock. I wonder whether Moscow and Beijing have competent geo-political specialists to advise them and warn them against being on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of the future.
In an article in the Huffington Post (Shame on China and Russia for supporting the Butchers of Syria September 15th) I urged Hu Jinato the Chinese President and his Foreign Minister Yang Jechi to reconsider and think of the long term damage to China in the region if they vetoed a resolution calling for the protection of the Syrian people I also appealed to Dmitry Anatolyenvich Medvedev, the Russian President, his Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to think again and refrain from blocking a future UN Security Council Resolution calling for the protection of the Syrian people. All I got for my effort was a number of negative comments from Chinese and Russian readers.
The American President Barack Obama, the British Prime Minister David Cameron and the French President Nicolas Sarkozy have acted absolutely correctly on this particular issue and put principles and morality above business and trade. I recognize that neither China nor Russia are champions of democracy and human rights, but common sense and simple PR rules, demand that they take into account the Arab world's public opinion and their own image in the eyes of Arabs and Muslims everywhere.
Russia and China have decided to shoot themselves in the foot instead.