It has been six years and the world is still silent. What began as a peaceful protest in the spring of 2011 has turned into the greatest humanitarian crisis in the 21st century.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed since the start of the civil war, and millions of Syrians have fled the country. Much of the blame can be attributed to one individual: Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad

Assad has been in office for 17 years and was preceded by his father, who was president for nearly 30 years. From doctor to dictator, Assad has fundamentally transformed his country into an incorrigible nation.

If the world is fully aware of the atrocities Assad has committed, why are we all collectively watching? Will the rest of the world react if Assad carries out a chemical attack?

Unfortunately, no.

In August 2013, roughly 1,000 Syrians died in a chemical attack that was perpetrated by Assad. Fast forward a few years and Assad is once again accused of using chemical weapons. By using weapons of mass destruction, Assad has boastfully committed war crimes while simultaneously showing how much of a nefarious scumbag he is.

In both instances, the United States has sought to punish Assad for his actions. In 2013, Obama’s ineffectual “red line” forbade the use of chemical weapons. Obama ultimately failed to take military action against Assad and his troops. President Trump has condemned Assad’s use of chemical weapons and on Thursday the U.S. launched a military strike on Syria … after six long, strenuous years.

It is estimated that half a million Syrians have died due to the civil war. Thousands have died while attempting to flee to other countries.

I encourage everyone to learn more about the ongoing crisis in Syria and read about the stories of innocent civilians like five-year-old Omar Daqneesh.  There are several organizations such as the American Refugee Committee and the Islamic Relief USA that you can contact to provide much-needed assistance to Syrians.

Assad, it is only a matter of time.