The ugly truth is that the world’s response to this crisis has been shaped by geopolitical interests, not the need to put an end to appalling human suffering. Indeed, it is no secret that the conflict serves as a proxy for larger struggles – between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the US and Iran, Russia and the US, Shia and Sunni Muslims, and moderates and extremists – and that resolving it will require significant effort on all of these fronts.
丑陋的真相是世界对危机的反应并不是结束这场骇人听闻的人间苦难，反而是争夺各参与方的地缘政治利益。事实上，叙利亚冲突只是沙特和伊朗、沙特和卡塔尔、美国和伊朗、俄国和美国、什叶和逊尼派穆斯林以及温和派和极端派更大规模斗争的代理早已不是什么秘密——解决这场冲突需要各方面共同付出艰苦的努力。