Publication

This brief examines the role and responsibility of the UN Security Council in the context of the civil war in Syria. The author argues that after months of deadly conflict and stalemate at the Security Council over the imposition of any coercive measures, the Russian-US compromise on the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons is significant. The main challenge, however, will be to unite the various factions on the rebel side, to negotiate a ceasefire and convene a new peace conference for launching a Syrian-led political transition process. This task, the author concludes, is going to be extremely difficult.