Syria and the UN

"There is huge concern bordering on panic in Damascus," said Paul Salem, head of the Carnegie Foundation's office in Beirut. "There is a sense that Syria is drifting into a very serious problem without having thought through how to deal with it."

As an obnoxious American, it's tough for Abu Muqawama to imagine the UN ever striking fear into the heart of a sovereign state, but that's exactly what the UN is doing in the corridors of powers in Damascus. Fredo Corleone is at a loss for what to, according to this article from the Guardian.