RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT? So what happened to that whole Obama doctrine about protecting civilians from atrocities by tyrants? Syrian forces try to stem exodus of refugees to Turkey. “Syrian human rights campaigner Ammara Qurabi also accused pro-government forces of attacking people who were helping the refugees as they tried to escape from a widening military assault to crush protests against Assad’s autocratic rule. . . . Witnesses said pro-Assad forces were firing randomly, ransacking houses and burning crops in Jisr al-Shughour, an area known for its apple groves, olive trees and wheat.”