Here we go again. This time it’s Syria.
Folks in the U.S. are getting upset over the stubborn unwillingness of President Bashar al Assad to give up power. The thought of Assad and his Russian, Iranian and Lebanon-based Hezbollah allies winning this civil war is an anathema to the American revolutionary spirit. And so we are starting to see a repeat of the pattern of intervention that the U.S. fell into in Vietnam. They started with military advisors, then air force support, and then you know what happened. Washington politicians, foreign affairs policy pundits and the American press are convincing themselves, once again, that Washington alone has the moral authority and military power to stop Syria’s collapse. They fear a Somalia-like state where a 20-year civil war has been raging and the country has become a breeding ground for international terrorists. Perhaps that is why President Obama has been playing nice with the al-Nusra Front, an al Qaeda affiliate, and has been supplying them with small arms. What comes next?
Anyway, maybe it’s time we sat back and took a long look at Syria. In ancient times, Syria included the modern states of Lebanon, Israel and Jordan and was called Greater Syria. Situated where three continents converge, Syria has throughout most of its history been part of larger empires – Hittites, Egyptian, Babylonians and Persian. Alexander of Macedonia conquered it before it became part of the Roman Empire. Then came the Turks, Mongols and Mamelukes before it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The First World War saw Syria fall under French rule with Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan split off. After the Second World War, Syria and Lebanon became independent states recognized as such by the United Nations in 1945.
Then, fearing a communist takeover of the country, a political alliance was formed with Egypt in 1958. Both countries became one, known as United Arab Republic, with Gamel Abdel Nasser as president, the centre of government moving to Cairo. This didn’t last long, ending in 1961 with a military coup in Damascus. Shortly thereafter a political partnership between the military and the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party began to run the country. Hafez al-Assad took over the presidency in 1971 and ruled for 30 years before his son Bashar took over in July 2000, re-elected unopposed for another seven-year term in 2007.
And now President Obama says Assad should “step aside.” Or what? Syria has, for more than a half-century, strongly opposed the U.S. doctrine for the Middle East. Syria with many others in the region has declared that Israel, not communism, has been the greatest threat to peace and security to the area. Furthermore, the U.S. has applied trade sanctions – not surprisingly ignored by Iran, China and Russia.
Meanwhile, Russian exports to Syria exceed $1 billion annually with business and oil investments of nearly $20 billion. And the Russians have had a naval base there since 1971 – their only naval base on foreign shores. Syria imported $2.4 billion from China last year and China has oil interests there. China is also helping with ballistic missile defences. Iran is Syria’s strongest strategic partner in Middle East politics. None wants Assad out of office.
So let’s forget about the Obama administration being able to doing anything but harm about the Syrian conflict. U.S. motivation is purely one of self interest.
So bring back France. Maybe they can convince the fighting factions to revisit the French solution of the 1920s when civil war was threatened. They created an alliance of four “states” – state of Damascus, state of Aleppo, state of Jabal Druse and state of the Alawis with the capital at Latakia. Maybe Assad could be named governor general.
Sure would beat reuniting with Egypt.
Alan Murdock is a local pediatrician.
