A mass burial for victims killed in Houla. REUTERS/Shaam News Network

Will the massacre in Houla prove a tipping point in the Syrian crisis? International action has so far been ineffective. Now there is fresh talk of action from the Security Council.

But I am still sceptical. The factors that have prevented effective international intervention to date are still in place. They include big-power rivalries, a divided opposition and a powerful Syrian army. Certainly talking to people last week in Turkey – which is the base for most of the Syrian opposition – I got the sense that people were increasingly resigned to a long and bloody conflict. Read more