Discussions of the Syrian crisis have been notably absent from many major media outlets in the past few weeks. National interest peaked in September over the prospect of military intervention and summarily faded as attention focused on the government shutdown. Nevertheless, as many as 600 Syrians continue to die each week because of the conflict.

Behind these statistics lie grim stories of suicide bombers and cases of civilians who died while attempting to flee. Over 2 million Syrians have left the country in the past two years, while an additional 4 million have been displaced from their homes.

Proportionally speaking, if the same percentage of citizens suddenly left the United States, it would equate to the entire population of the state of Massachusetts vanishing. The rising death toll combined with the increased presence of extremist rebel factions has worsened the situation in Syria.

This marks a sad state of affairs, as our country no longer prioritizes the discussion on Syria and much or the prospect of intervention. The Obama administration stood on the sidelines for two years while it defined the red line as the use of chemical weapons. Bashar al-Assad crossed this line unpunished and seems poised to retain power. Pundits have criticized President Barack Obama’s handling of the situation, as he made a threat and refused to substantiate.

Nevertheless, by committing to a diplomatic approach, Obama did avoid the possible fallout from both Congress and the American public. He overestimated public support for military action as well as his ability to sway Congress toward intervention. With this being said, however, it seems contradictory that a major head of state reached a politically satisfactory agreement while the situation in Syria worsens every day.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons remains confident that Syria will meet the deadlines for decommissioning its chemical arsenal, but we are further away from a resolution to this civil war than a month ago. The loss of chemical weapons presents a small cost for Assad to pay for diverting the threat of international ouster.

Meanwhile, American influence in the Middle East wanes and our credibility suffers. The American people can do more than just inform ourselves. We should not only revive the dialogue on Syria but also demand more from our politicians. Student organizations provide the means for such involvement, whether by phone banking our elected officials or raising funds for refugees. This issue only becomes more relevant as politicians turn to other matters, and the media quickly follows suit. Regardless of whether our priorities lie with American interests or humanitarian ideals, the only unacceptable position is inaction.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Oct. 22 print edition. Carlos Estevez is a contributing writer. Email him at [email protected].