Why Arab States Had to Allow Syria Back Into the Fold
Assad is a mass murderer but he won his war, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE have vital interests to protect across the Middle East.
Atrocious.
Photographer: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images
It should have come as no surprise that the Arab League voted overwhelmingly to restore Syria's membership after more than a decade of suspension. The move isn't unanimous, with Qatar remaining the primary holdout, and Washington registering muted objections. Yet, while the outrage the vote has provoked is more than understandable, it has long been inevitable.
The protracted isolation of Syria was motivated by clear moral and strategic reasons. The brutality with which the Bashar al-Assed regime put down what began as peaceful, pro-democracy protests has few parallels in the 21st century. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed, including through widespread use of chemical weapons.