The Realist Prism: On Syria, Sovereignty Comes First for Southern Democracies

The decision this week by Russia and China to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for its use of violence against its domestic opponents has attracted much attention -- and opprobrium. What has generated less discussion is the fact that the three states of the IBSA bloc -- India, Brazil and South Africa -- abstained from the vote. But their unwillingness to support the resolution has clear implications both for the future of the "responsibility to protect" doctrine as well as for America's own relationships with the rising democracies of the South.

Certainly notions of anti-imperialism and "Third World solidarity" help to provide some context for their decision to abstain. India, which for decades played a leading role in the Non-Aligned Movement; South Africa, which is ruled by the African National Congress; and Brazil, which is looking to establish its own distinct global presence: None of the three were predisposed to automatically rally behind a resolution sponsored by the Western powers. But these three democracies' reluctance to sanction an authoritarian regime that is increasingly relying on repressive violence to retain its hold on power has a far deeper root. ...