Almost two months from today, I have written about the Syrian conflict, suggesting that the US and Russia should consider "setting up a United Nations security zone in Syria which is under the United Nations Security Council's jurisdiction." (DS NETS 2/29/2016) Since then, Turkey has been hosting around 2.7 million refugees.

During her visit to a refugee camp in Turkey, Chancellor Merkel has shown support for establishing safe zones within Syria, which has been supported by Turkey. (Deutsche Welle 4/23/2016) Such safe zones, in theory, could provide stability in parts of Syria to deter Syrians from making the arduous trip towards Europe. The United Nations warned against the idea unless security for the Syrians within the safe zones can be guaranteed.

While it is a welcoming sign that Chancellor Merkel supports the idea of a Syria safe zone, the fact that the Chancellor merely has shown support of the idea is disappointing news. The Syrian conflict has shown no sign of significant progress, and the international community has not engaged in any substantive and transformative initiatives in providing the immediate humanitarian need for Syrians living in conflict zones. Chancellor's mere support of the safe zone idea signifies that such initiative has not been planned beyond a skeletal idea.

The main moral question world leaders must ponder is this: Why is it taking so long? Granted, there are world politics impeding fast UN policy implementations, but the Syrian conflict has been ongoing for several years, including the time of the sudden expansion of the Islamic State. If world leaders are unable to quickly address the humanitarian crisis in Syria, they either should abdicate from power or withdraw from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

World leaders should not take this long to respond to the crisis in Syria.