If anyone wishes to comment on Syria feel free to do so. The U.K. does not have any military commitment there and should leave it to Turkey, Lebanon, USA, Israel and Iran that do have military commitment to sort it out with the new Syrian transitional government and each other.
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December 11, 2024
Good morning.
And neither should it. But if any here with their ‘jingo’ language wants to volunteer for the Front, I am willing to put some money for their airfair – one way of course 😉
December 11, 2024
The enemy of my enemy is my friend no longer applies. Lets see what emerges in the form of governance and its intentions in Syria, before deciding what our future policy towards them might be.
December 12, 2024
The new form of government has emerged, Agricola. It’s 100% islamist, led by a rebranded Al Qaeda leader, and mass executions have begun of political enemies and minorities. What else do you need to see before you recognise what you’re looking at?
December 11, 2024
I visited Damascus in 1986, flying there with Syrian Arab Airlines from Heathrow. Hafez al Assad’s portrait was omnipresent but the country was see as a bastion of religious tolerance, boys and girls went to school in smart uniforms and the city was maze of vibrant commerce. The country’s fortunes appear to have started to go down hill with the damming of the Euphrates in the 80s and 90s when vast numbers of youth left their traditional roles in the agricultural economy and went to cities leading to huge disaffected youth unemployment. This became a hotbed of discontent with the regime and precipitated a sympathy for jihad and regime change. Once Assad senior resorted to brutal crackdowns and accommodations with elements hostile to the US, including Saddam Hussein, the country was labelled part of the “axis of evil” by George Bush’s neocon government, and there was no way back for Bashir al Assad.
December 11, 2024
No mention of external actors in your portrayal of how events unfolded, Simon? You don’t say who built those dams, for a start. From what I read, “Turkey’s various dam and hydropower construction projects have reduced Iraq’s water supply along the two rivers by 80 percent since 1975” (Arab Center Washington DC). Then we might ask who was recruiting, training and arming the islamist insurgents from 2011 onwards.
December 11, 2024
‘No military commitment’ of our own troops, sure, but a long history of fomenting conflict in Syria via MI6 and BBC Media Action. This is why the British state celebrated Assad’s overthrow. We have helped to put in power in Damascus the former head of the Al Nusra (rebranded Al Qaeda) terrorist group, Abou Mohammed Al Joulani. Not something to celebrate as far as I’m concerned.
December 11, 2024
And spending considerable sums trying to achieve it.Back in 2021 DeclassifiedUK.com published a report :”Revealed : the UK has spent £350m promoting regime change in Syria via the ‘Conflict,stability & Security Fund, funded out of the British aid budget.”20/7/21.
And you know who was the biggest funder of the ‘White Helmets’ -who made a reappearance last week.
December 11, 2024
We should keep well out of it.
We should refuse to accept any new migrants or asylum applications by Syrians. And we should deport those already here, who claim they were fleeing the Assad-run Syria. Assad no longer runs it so they can go back.
December 11, 2024
My only comment would be about Asylum – those already granted and those seeking it.
I suspect that sexuality will now be accepted as a criteria for acceptance as will being a Christian now that an Islamist government is in place.
We need proof that claimants are gay, trans and Christian. This proof should be irrefutable and practical with acts being committed by or to the claimants which show they walk the walk. Apostates from Islam should be required to attend a mosque and tell the imam they are Christian.
December 11, 2024
Those who have been grated asylum due to possibility of persecution by Assad should be immediately repatriated.
December 11, 2024
If they are Christian, they won’t be asking for asylum, they will be asking if the authorities can get them back so they can tell their family and friends about Jesus.
December 11, 2024
My only comment would be that for once could the UK NOT get involved in someone else’s war and someone else’s politics.
Like Trump in the USA, the UK should concentrate on sorting out our own problems at home rather than trying to sort out other countries problems.
December 11, 2024
I hope they, the Syrians, can sort it out and resolve the demands of the competing interests. It will be a miracle if they can and do get back to civilised normalcy.
December 11, 2024
Those celebrating the fall of Assad are going to get a wake up call very soon. Syria is about to become the latest member of I.S.
December 11, 2024
There are around 30,000 Syrian ‘refugees’ in Britain, according to the BBC, and that’s probably an underestimate. Now that the so-called civil war there is over, how many will go home, I wonder?
My guess is the Home Office has no policy in place of contacting refugees accepted into this country, when the conflict they were escaping from has ended. I’d love to be wrong, but I don’t think I am.
December 11, 2024
In response, the not fit for purpose Home Office has opted to cancel asylum status for Syrians (not that any in the queue will be deported) whereas to be better prepared it should be booking more four star accommodation for when even more flee Syria.
December 11, 2024
Maybe Obama’s deified legacy will finally crumble as the suffering caused by his weakness in not enforcing his red lines finally gets airtime as political commentators and analysts dissect the situation.
As for not getting involved, I agree. I see Starmer uttered some pathetic bleat trying to look a world statesman.
December 11, 2024
The stated aim of the Syrian rebels (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS))is the ‘liberation of the levant’ ….the geographical area of the ‘levant’ includes Syria, Lebanon, Israel & Jordan …..money & talk is cheap, don’t give them anything until we can witness their actions & intent
December 11, 2024
Syria is a long-distance neighbour with a complex muddle of conflicts churning with outcomes beyond much control. The UK government can’t even sort its own affairs out properly or efficiently, so shouldn’t interfere.
We may assist in some way by contributing to peace in team with others where we have expertise. We have already done much by enabling large numbers of Syrians to live on our UK premises to gain the safety and care of our hospitality.
As soon as their own land is restored to peace, those who entered here for safety should return home, to reduce the excessive burden UK citizens are bearing here at risk to their own health and well-being.
December 11, 2024
Initially treated as a good thing, to see the end of the Assad regime, with jails emptied of political prisoners.
In the longer term it will mean a whole country has fallen to ISIS with all the horrors that will mean. They are certainly going to cause a lot of trouble in the Middle East, and we will get pulled into any conflicts then.
I would say tongue in cheek, that we need something similar to empty our jails of the alleged right wing terrorists imprisoned for having different views to the government.
December 11, 2024
Not ‘in the longer term’, Bryan. The killing of Alawites and other minorities has started already. The new government is 100% Islamist, and the prisons in Syria will very soon be filled again with those of their enemies they don’t kill. Which country will be next, I wonder.
December 11, 2024
The UK meddles in enough. We are a small, indebted nation, acting like we still have an empire. It may suit Boris and SirK to go galavanting around, Guido Fawkes worked out SirK (after Rachael condemned Rishi for this) has spent one working month on planes since becoming PM.
December 11, 2024
Anybody who wants to know how it happened and is not satisfied with the superficial bilge in the MSM,
Alastair Crooke, a retired British diplomat is interviewed by Judge Andrew Napolitano on JudgingFreedom which is on Rumble.
December 11, 2024
Napolitano frequently interviews people who know what is really going on in international relations.Earlier this weeek there was a great interview with Pepe Escobar,one of the best informed/connected geopolitical analysts around.
December 11, 2024
We need to keep out of any involvement in Syria. Let the regional players and the US take care of it.
Strategically, it would be nice to see the port of Tartus denied to the Russians. Perhaps the US could base a few ships there ?
December 11, 2024
It is too soon to tell what will emerge by way of government in Syria once all the foreign interventions have tried to affect the outcome: both the US and Israeli forces have been busy, and by some accounts so have the Turkish ones, supporting their own local population and suppressing Kurds. The Russians are negotiating a role, having been an important presence that values its use of naval facilities. It is said that Iran and the Ayatollahs have lost out, but that is far from certain (and almost certainly an outcome that the Israelis would like to achieve). Syria is a hotchpotch of different populations, many of them refugees from each other.
It is said there may be a push for a pipeline from Qatar to Europe for natural gas. It is hard to see Syria being part of the route. Turkey is clearly trying to increase its influence, though that is a risk for Europe. Saudi Arabia will also seek to secure a more strategic position, having had relatively little influence in the Assad era. The Middle East kaleidoscope has been shaken up: we need to understand the many different ways the pieces may fall, and identify ones that are more or less desirable for British interests, and try to persuade those capable of affecting the outcome accordingly. Clearly we lack the resource to do anything meaningful ourselves other than vote in the UN – not that that carries much weight in practical terms when there are parties determined to pursue their own interests.
December 11, 2024
Politically it remains uncertain but it is good to see families reunited with hope.
December 12, 2024
‘sort it out’ is probably hopelessly optimistic.
December 16, 2024
The US made a very foolish mistake in backing the terrorist PKK against its strongest NATO ally, Turkey. We foolishly joined them in this. Now there is the additional complication of the ISIS prisoners of war being held by the Kurds, some of whom assert they are British. No doubt the Turks and the Israelis will sort something out as both are pragmatic nations.