The repeated use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people has brought the civil war to a new diplomatic and political boil. Yet none of the military options being canvassed – or, in the UK, rejected – promises a decisive shift in the course of the conflict.
We are not yet anywhere near the nadir of the humanitarian crisis already consuming five countries at the heart of the Middle East.
The International Rescue Committee has just completed a six-week audit of the situation in Syria and its neighbours. The litany of suffering is grim, the dynamics are all going in the wrong direction and the prospects are bleak. For geopolitical reasons, as well as basic humanity, we need a fundamental step change in the scale of effort.