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Journalism of Courage
US-Russia deal on Syria is a breakthrough. Now,renew efforts to end the civil war
The agreement between the US and Russia on the framework document for the disarming of Syrias chemical weapons is the most significant breakthrough yet in the Syrian civil war. While this diplomatic progress worked out in Geneva by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry will be construed as a Russian victory,the Obama administration must be congratulated for seeing the wisdom of putting its faith in diplomacy and a multilateral approach,holding off a military strike that would have made the humanitarian crisis in Syria much worse. Given Moscows leverage over the regime in Damascus,a non-military solution to the problem was perhaps impossible without Russias initiative.
Even as efforts are made to enforce Syrian compliance,the international community cannot lose sight of the fact that the civil war is still continuing one that has claimed 1,00,000 lives. Washington and Moscow must do more to end that war.
