The Syrian Emergency / Police Action / Kerfuffle

[Clinton Huxley]

The EU and the USA have decided that they might arm the Syrian rebels. The Russians have said they will supply Assad with ground to air missiles. The US, France and Blighty have opined that chemical weapons have been used. The US is considering a no-fly zone. Blighty is re-activating a chemical warfare unit
disbanded in 2011 in case it needs to go in with US and British special forces to seize control of Syrian chemical weapons stocks.

So, will the "Syrian To-Do" kick off this year? Can't call it a War, the western public has had enough of those.

Anyone up for it?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The US has been castigated for not helping the rebels. Now that we are planning to do it, we will be castigated for getting involved in local affairs.

Nothing new there.

[Clinton Huxley]

There aren't any good guys, just different flavour baddies.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

There aren't any good guys, just different flavour baddies.

Leaving open the option to say "yer doin' it wrong" whatever we do.

[MrJonno]

There are some moderately less bad guys on the rebels who have at least some interest in democracy, support them and if they misbehave bomb them too

[laklak]

Kill 'em all. Let God sort them out.

[pErvinalia]

I want to know how the initial report that it was the REBELS who used chemical weapons has now morphed into the Syrian state using chem weapons. I feel like I am being lied to again.

[cronus]

Pick a side. You can choose either the New Aztec Rangers or Mr Gasman. There's a lot at stake putting your hand in the wasps nest.

[Warren Dew]

I want to know how the initial report that it was the REBELS who used chemical weapons has now morphed into the Syrian state using chem weapons. I feel like I am being lied to again.

Apparently by now both sides have used them. It's only considered evil when used by the bad guys, of course, whoever they are.

[Warren Dew]

There are some moderately less bad guys on the rebels who have at least some interest in democracy, support them and if they misbehave bomb them too

There are also some even worse bad guys on the rebel side who want to establish a theocracy. Tough to support one without the other.

My prediction is that we will support the rebels enough to prevent Assad from winning, but perhaps not enough for the rebels actually to win.

[Ian]

The whole thing seems ill-advised. Not a major blunder, but a potential one if we don't keep enough distance. But I can't help but think: what's REALLY going on here?

And of course, I have to gripe about: why the US is being looked to do something or not? Why not Saudi Arabia? They could decisively intervene any time they wanted. India has an air force more than capable of establishing a solid no-fly zone, but nobody's wondering what India will do about Syria...

[JimC]

There is a serious danger that modern arms given to one branch of the rebel forces will end up with the guys that think that shooting down western airliners with sophisticated ground-to-air missiles is a very good thing indeed...

[pErvinalia]

What's the UN saying about this? Indecisive as ever?

[JimC]

What's the UN saying about this? Indecisive as ever?

Being indecisive is an inevitable result of its structure as an organisation, and the refusal of national entities the world over to allow it to have any impact on real decisions...

[pErvinalia]

Definitely. It's no more than the sum of its parts (i.e. its member states).