First and maybe the most important question on the Syrian war: Does it have much to do with the people who are dying? No.
We are the witnesses of a proxy war in which Syria has become the battleground. The real culprits are Russia, Iran, Syria’s neighbours and the USA.
But let’s go back to March 2011. After the fall of Tunisian President Ben Ali in January and the Egyptian President Mubarak in February, Syrians took to the streets caught up in the wave of Arab unrest.
The first reaction of President Bashar al-Assad was to initially respond with hints of reform. But soon he launched violent crackdowns that could have dispensed with the opposition if not for outside support.
So, 17 months later, the situation has grown more intense. According to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Syria is engulfed in a civil war. The battlefield even spilled over the borders into Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Jordan.
Can we see light at the end of the tunnel? Not a clue.
The fighting continues because both sides have outside sponsors with different motives than preserving Syrian lives. Those sponsors fuel their Syrian-based proxies with the means to fight while seeking self-serving political aims.
Magro concludes pessimistically...
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani told reporters on Sunday that “the fire that has been ignited in Syria will take the fearful [Israelis] with it.”And all before the November elections? Somehow I think Bibi will get his way first. See Netanyahu ‘determined to attack Iran’ before US elections, claims Israel’s Channel 10
Four years ago, Barack Obama said that one of his great aims was to forge a better relationship with the Muslim world, until now we haven’t seen many efforts to support that aim.
Observers believe that this could be his greatest chance. But they argue that he needs to find a new strategy that is accepted among his allies to remove Assad soon, unify Syrians around a unity government, preserve as much of Syria’s security forces as possible and cut-off future Russian and Iranian influence.
See also:
Syria: The Unpalatable Truth
Syria: The Proxy War
Five Syrian Nightmares
The Plight of Christians in Syria
Syria: The Next Yugoslavia or maybe Somalia?
Western 'Christian' Backed Opposition Targetting Syrian Christians?
Syrian Christians Catalysts for Peace
Syria: Its all about Oil
Pray for Syria
