This week marks a big I-told-you-so for people who’ve long doubted the usefulness of the UN. After all, it was this Monday, April 16th, that the United Nations, excuse me–the wives of the British and German ambassadors to the United Nations —revealed their master plan to topple the Syrian regime. Everything you need to know is in this Youtube video, right here:
If you can’t be bothered to watch, it’s a strange four minutes of Asma al-Assad in designer sunglasses laced with images of the suffering Syrian masses, and a robotic female voice over: “Dear Asma,” the voice begins, “some women care for style…some women care for their people…nobody cares about your image”. I smell a TLC spinoff (House Wives of the United Nations anyone?) The video goes on begging for Asma’s mercy while taking little stabs at her pampered life and appearance. I don’t usually rail against well-meaning social activism, no matter how misguided, but this isn’t well-meaning. It’s bitchy. And it won’t work.
Perhaps if Asma’s true feelings weren’t known, this plea wouldn’t seem so unusual. But we’re talking here about a woman who was emailing her friends about Armani light fixtures and fondue sets while her regime brutally slaughtered its own people. A woman who actually remarked that in her relationship with Bashar al-Assad, she is the “REAL dictator”.
Asking Lady Assad to stop her husband’s horror show is like asking Lady Macbeth to spare King Duncan’s head.