As the experts might say: The situation is very fluid in Syria. The “Arab Spring” continues to bring chaos to many countries in the Middle East. For those of us not greatly knowledgeable of the specific issues before the various peoples of Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria and others, the indiscriminate killing of the civilian populations, public unrest, revolt and the residual destruction of property and lives lost soon grows into epidemic proportions. Somalia is and was a very similar type of insurrection where all social and government control falls by the wayside and nothing is left but a revolution of sorts gone mad. Random gangs can soon replace police and the military. Rape, pillage, terrible atrosities and plunder become the order of the day. This brutal method being used is not considered anything like “An African Spring” but sadly, “Life and Death by a Dark Moon”.
The situation in Egypt was the first strike of the “Arab Spring”. The many years of abuses by the Mubarak Government had been well documented by his opponents and that opposition soon became a coalition of the willing that were supported by the Global Community at large with both military and humanitarian supplied as the Rebels became the government. Gaddafi and Libya was a slightly different story because the military took a while to split their affections until the very end. Without the assistance of the NATO countries however….it is still doubtful that Libya would have overthrown Gaddafi. Yemen is still up for grabs with the societies of the North and South, being supplied by a variety of different supporters; so nothing has been totally resolved there yet. One thing is certain, Al Qaeda and the Taliban have many friends still in Yemen.
The current spotlight is on the Iranian Nuclear Program and whether or not Israel should bomb those Iranian Laboratories. Isolating Iran seems to be the strategy by the United States and her Allies. Sanctions, Blockades, Restrictions on Trade as well as a whole plethora of other contemplated actions are on the table. Having UN Nuclear Inspectors on the ground in Iran is a requirement. Making sure that the Iranian Nuclear program does not include warhead development and intercontinental ballastic missles or proliferation to other countries in the area seems the most important directive.
This leave us with Syria. Assad is that interesting fellow that went to western schools, dresses in European suits and is supposedly a secular figure in the Middle East, yet continues to support various terrorist groups around the world. The current “Arab Spring Revolution” in Syria is an agonizing slow process which includes placing “so-called” snipers on every roof top and then to control the population simply killing anyone that steps out into the street or any line of fire. Trying to find a central figure that is willing to step out of the shadows and represent the revolution in Syria seems to be a problem. People are dying on a regular basis and Assad seems to still have titular control of the military. This situation seems much akin to that in Libya, however without an organized opposition or even an unorganized oppostion.
Senator John McCain has called for the bombing on Syrian military forces by the United States. That is a very tough choice that calls for a strategy that might be better implemented without airstrikes. “A Bridge too Far” was an interesting movie about the flub-a-dub Allied attempt to take the Remagen Bridge in World War II. Supplies were dropped into NAZI lines rather than for the Allies, the communications were all down, the roads were all clogged, the time lines were all askew, the lack of Central Command and Control by either side exibited exactly how “if things can go wrong – they will”. Syria is one of those theatres of operation that lacks a certain clarity at this time. This might well be the time to assess quickly, deliver supplies quickly and see if the oppostion can rise up to the occasion. Select airstrikes on targets of Syrian Military Air Capacity could be contemplated and implemented, if destruction of that capacity could be well assured.
30 Seconds over Damascus? A very tough call and one that should be contemplated clearly and thoroughly.
*The Syrian issue seems not to be going away. The major media seems to be hyping it in order to show “the atrosity factor”. Kind of reminds us of the 1968 Chech Revolution that was thwarted by the Eastern Block and Russia tanks. Sad.