Arab Spring? Or Arab Winter?

[Rakhel]

Protesters attack five Syrian embassies in Europe and Middle East - NYPOST.com

It's obvious the protestors are angry about the free-for-all killings. The embassies were stormed. And not in the way most people storm embassies. These people weren't looking for asylum. They were looking to prove a point.

So then we have this
China, Russia veto UN resolution condemning Syria bloodshed - NYPOST.com

Turns out, the majority of the members of the UN security counsel wanted to pass a resolution condemning the violence in Syria towards it's citizens, and it would have passed had Russia and China not vetoed the vote. I am not quite sure why they would veto this. Not that resolutions mean much. The do appear to be a collective, "We are angry that you are doing this. Please stop" piece of paper.
But still...

Am I missing something? At least one of the super 5 usually abstain anyways. Why is this time different?

 

[chartagony]

Realpolitik. I do know that China and Russia were refusing to budge on a sanction against the regime on arms sales. I do also know the regime in Syria has strong ties to Moscow dating back to the cold war. Many Arab nations do. Moscow might see another NATO indebted nation as a threat. It is important to note the proximity of all this to the Suez canal. As to China... well, they've been pushing hard into the Muslim world to get into the resource race as it were and Russia may very well provide the means to that access. All nations look out for their own interests first. Sometimes that means its citizens. Sometimes its economics. Sometimes both. Though it is an increasingly challenged attitude in an increasingly globalized world. Admittedly this is an incredibly simplistic and broad brushed explanation. I might be able to come up with something more substantial later but it's the best I got.