Moral Outrage: America’s Disappearing Red Lines

Videos depicting the gruesome death of 1,300 men, women, and children by poison gas in Syria were posted online. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood torched scores of churches, some dating back 1500 hundred years, while nuns were paraded in the streets like captured POWs.

Even as President Obama seems to finally be doing something to degrade Assad’s capabilities, it is hard to say if Americans were more shocked by the events in the Middle East, or by Miley Cyrus’ racy MTV performance.

It can’t be for lack of information. We are bombarded by a steady stream of horrific images. But insofar as Egypt and Syria are concerned, we are inured to, not energized by, the ‘beyond belief’ images of horror.

In 2013, it’s as if we have reserved a seat in our living room for a new neighbor—the face of Evil.

How else to explain that the mass gassings of children and torching of houses of worship have generated nary a hint of righteous indignation, let alone, G-d forbid, calls for action?

Surely we know the truth: Systematic arson of churches will not end with burning buildings. It never does; we have been there before. Death is always horrible; but unless real action is taken, the use of chemical agents against civilian populations will quickly become just another fact of life around the globe.

What’s worse than moral impotence? Deploying the moral equivalency card. After several days of denouncing the Egyptian military’s forceful intervention against the Muslim Brotherhood, Deputy Press Secretary John Earnest declared, “We have condemned in unambiguous terms all of the violence that has been perpetrated there in Egypt. We have been concerned and condemned the violence that was perpetrated by the government against peaceful protesters and we’re just as outraged and just as concerned about reports that Christian churches have been targeted.”

Really? The Army-Muslim Brotherhood face-off is the equivalent to a nationwide pogrom against Christians?

And how about our President’s “red line” on Syria? Unlike President Bush, who had to go shopping to create a ‘coalition of the willing,’ this time around there’s a coalition out there in search of American leadership.

As for the UN, does anyone really believe that the UN Security Council – with its guaranteed Russian veto – can even deliver a proper obituary for 100,000 dead Syrians? Unless we take action to get rid of those stockpiles of poison gas, our “red lines” are as worthless as the invisible ink with which they are drawn. And what good are religious leaders if they cannot at least raise the alarm?

If nature abhors a vacuum, tyrants love moral vacuums. Tehran especially, but also Pyongyang, Al Qaeda affiliates, and Hezbollah are all taking note.

Cooper is associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Adlerstein is director of interfaith affairs for the Wiesenthal Center.