While Russia and China are busy stalling the United Nation’s efforts to take action against Syria, a major human rights violation and all-out massacre is underway.

Since an outcry from the Syrian people began 11 months ago, more than 5,400 civilians have been killed by their own president, Bashar al-Assad and his cronies.

If these two powerhouses continue to put their self-interests before basic human rights, the Syrian crisis will become too massive to solve through diplomacy alone.

Despite the urgency of the situation, these antagonists have met the United Nations effort to halt Assad’s brutal regime with good old fashioned Eastern obstructionism.

Last week, the U.N. Security Council voted on a resolution to the conflict unfolding in Syria. The resolution, which called for a U.N. endorsement of the Arab League’s demand for Assad’s resignation, fell flat on its face because of vetoes cast by permanent U.N. Security Council members, Russia and China.

The vote was held in the wake of Syrian forces unleashing a hellstorm of mortars on the populous city of Homs, killing more than 200 people.

The double vetoes provoked a strong response from U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice when she told the United Nations last Saturday, “The United States is disgusted that a couple members of this council continue to prevent us from addressing an ever-deepening crisis in Syria.”

China, with its own iron-fisted government, maintains a long-standing non-interventionist policy and has been reluctant to send the message to its citizens that a revolution can achieve desirable results.

“By only exerting pressure on the Syrian government and explicitly trying to coerce its leader Assad to step down, the resolution sends the message to armed groups and opponents of his regime that they have the support of the international community,” said The Chinese Daily Newspaper, a leading Chinese publication known for promoting government policy, about the veto.

What kind of message does a veto against efforts to protect innocent lives send to the Syrian government? The regime is becoming more violent toward its own people by the hour.

Taking diplomatic measures to stop the killings before more innocent lives are lost should be the top priority of the United Nations.

Russia and China’s votes at the Security Council have only served to embolden Assad’s efforts to quell those who speak out against him.

Russia’s motivations for foiling U.N. attempts to oust Assad are numerous.

Running short of allies in the region, Russia stands to lose quite a bit, such as their only naval base on the Mediterranean sea, if they jump the bandwagon too early.

Choosing not to speak out against the inhumane acts committed by Assad, Russia has instead decided to supply him with arms.

“This intransigence is even more shameful when you consider that at least one of these members continue to deliver weapons to Assad,” Rice said in her statement to the U.N. Security Council, referring to Russia’s much disputed military support of Syria.

As Syrian protesters burned Russian flags in the streets, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, could only vaguely justify the vote Saturday morning.

Russian officials have stated they do not want events in Syria to play out as they did in Libya during its Arab Spring uprisings – nor do leaders in the West.

The U.N. proposal reflects a desire for a diplomatic solution in Syria. However, this will be impossible to achieve via the Security Council as long as China and Russia flex their veto power.

As we’ve seen in the recent Arab Spring uprisings, oppressed revolutionary forces are unlikely to surrender to a leader who has committed crimes of such magnitude against the people of their nation.

“The Syrian regime’s policy of maintaining power by terrorizing its people only indicates its inherent weakness and inevitable collapse. Assad has no right to lead Syria and has lost all legitimacy with his people and the international community,” said President Obama in a statement.

The situation will not resolve itself. The Syrian people will never be willing to give Assad a second chance, especially after the way he has handled the protests against his leadership.

Harboring the belief that Syrians will eventually come to a peaceful solution without the intervention of an international body will only allow the situation to intensify. Currently, U.N. members are not seeking a military intervention in Syria.

However, this posture is likely to change as the bloodshed in the troubled country intensifies.

If Russia and China are against a military intervention, then they must immediately join their U.N. counterparts to work toward a diplomatic solution.