Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech on Wednesday reaffirmed Malta’s condemnation of the use of chemical weapons in Syria – unreservedly, at that.

But he also said that a solution needs to be found through diplomacy, and not through force. At the time of writing, the US House of Representatives was debating whether or not to approve a strike against the Bashar al Assad regime. France has forged ahead and keeps pushing for military intervention – bolstered by its recent successful foray into Mali.

But the world’s opinion is seemingly against the use of force. Many EU members have said that they do not advocate the plan. Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron was defeated in the UK Parliament, and subsequent polls showed that 70% of Britons were against military action in Syria.

It is often easy to sit in the armchair and criticize. Malta, having close to zero in military capability, can rule itself out of any involvement in the conflict. It is not like the conflict in Libya which was on our doorstep. Malta was drawn into that conflict in terms of allowing logistical support, and in allowing strike jets to make emergency landings in Malta. In addition, we saw the defection of two Libyan pilots and a mass of evacuees moving through the country.

Syria is a far away land. But it goes back to the question, is anyone justified in striking Syria? It is very clear that the country has become ravaged by sectarian groups. Some of them are linked to terrorist organizations and they get stronger every day. What would the world be creating? One of the biggest power vacuums in the hottest bed of them all, in the Middle East. What did bombing Libya accomplish? It saw the dismantling of the Gaddafi regime, this much is sure. But is Libya better off now, with militias doing as they please and killings going on aplenty? In a few decades, Libya might finally have some semblance of peace. But Syria will not. There is far too much at stake, with far too many groups clamoring for the prize.

There also seems to be a little bit of hypocrisy in the actions of those advocating intervention in Syria. 100,000 people have lost their lives in the two-and-a-half year old civil war. Yet it is only now, when 1,200 were killed in a chemical strike that the world has been spurred into action. Whatever happens in the future, it is quite clear that the US and any other coalition allies are damned if they do, and damned if they don’t. Syria is a powder keg ready to explode.  If the regime collapses in the midst of a full blown civil war, the power vacuum will be too great to fill. Syria will become a failed state.