In the past week, Syria’s Bashar Assad has sent tanks into the streets and ordered his troops to fire into groups of unarmed protesters. Estimates by human rights groups are that over 450 people have died so far and that number is expected to climb as the protesters show no immediate signs of giving up.

With the US occupied protecting civilians in Libya, the best we can do for the Syrian people right now is beg the UN to issue an international condemnation. Yesterday, even those meager efforts proved futile:

In coordinated moves, France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain yesterday called on the Syrian envoys in their capitals to condemn the crackdown that has led to hundreds of deaths.

In New York, China and Russia yesterday led opposition that blocked an initiative by the U.S. and its European allies for the UN Security Council to condemn the Syrian government’s attacks on peaceful protesters.

So it appears our improved international standing courtesy of President Obama isn’t really helping us all that much. The Syrian representative to the UN was quick to gloat over our failure:

The EU is now considering economic sanctions apart from the UN. Meanwhile, Britain has taken decisive, unilateral action against the rogue regime:

Britain has withdrawn the royal wedding invitation to Syria, with the support of Buckingham Palace, after a violent crackdown against pro-democracy supporters, a Foreign Office spokesman said on Thursday.

The invitation was rescinded on the eve of Friday’s wedding between Prince William, the second-in-line to the British throne, and his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton, following criticism from opposition politicians and human rights groups.

No word on whether Senator Lindsey Graham, who is advocating a “softer line” in Syria, is okay with this.