As the World's eyes turn their attention toward Gaza and Israel what of Syria? A country on the brink of major change or deepening conflict? We should not forget the people of Syria and their continuing woes.
It could be that world leaders have far from forgotten Syria. There is once again talk off the Syrian rebels being recognized as the legitimate government of that country. There is also talk once more of arming the rebels. As we learned in other parts of the Middle East that is not always good sense.
It would however keep Syria occupied on the homefront and too busy to offer support to Gaza.
That may or may not be a consideration. It could of course be the prime consideration. There has always been accusations that the West interfered and in some case engineered what is now referred to as the Arab Spring. If it did so there would have been a motive.
The downfall of Gaddafi which was so hailed last year has not proved quite as beneficial to the Libyan people as they may have hoped. With different factions now pitting against each other there is a political vacuum developing. What such empty spaces do is attract other forces. Libya is not over yet.
The West therefore has been a little more cautious about its stance on Syria. If we now arm the rebels, begin to call them by a legitimate sounding name and arm them you have to wonder, why now? Could it be the conflict between Israel and Gaza that is providing the momentum for such a move?
Governments in the West continue to interfere in what began as civil disturbances. Just how far they go to do so is crucial. The West has shown its hypocrisy time and time and time again.
Currently in Europe it appears to be the french that are pushing for a move to arm the Syrian rebels. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is set to discuss this thorny issue with European partners. Speaking on French radio he said "For the moment, there is an embargo, so there are no arms being delivered from the European side. The issue... will no doubt be raised for defensive arms,"
Opinion: The West needs to think very carefully on what action it may or may not take. The people and children of Syria are suffering. Will arming rebels alleviate that suffering? In the short term it wont. It could also be that in the longer term it wont either. Without a clear idea of who would take over from the Assad regime it is safe to assume it could get much worse.
The West also should question its motives for such action at this point in time. Would it be truly for the people of Syria or in relation to the Gaza Israel conflict? Perhaps for once they should also consult the electorate before they embark on yet more costly missions to destroy the World.
It could be that world leaders have far from forgotten Syria. There is once again talk off the Syrian rebels being recognized as the legitimate government of that country. There is also talk once more of arming the rebels. As we learned in other parts of the Middle East that is not always good sense.
It would however keep Syria occupied on the homefront and too busy to offer support to Gaza.
That may or may not be a consideration. It could of course be the prime consideration. There has always been accusations that the West interfered and in some case engineered what is now referred to as the Arab Spring. If it did so there would have been a motive.
The downfall of Gaddafi which was so hailed last year has not proved quite as beneficial to the Libyan people as they may have hoped. With different factions now pitting against each other there is a political vacuum developing. What such empty spaces do is attract other forces. Libya is not over yet.
The West therefore has been a little more cautious about its stance on Syria. If we now arm the rebels, begin to call them by a legitimate sounding name and arm them you have to wonder, why now? Could it be the conflict between Israel and Gaza that is providing the momentum for such a move?
Governments in the West continue to interfere in what began as civil disturbances. Just how far they go to do so is crucial. The West has shown its hypocrisy time and time and time again.
Currently in Europe it appears to be the french that are pushing for a move to arm the Syrian rebels. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is set to discuss this thorny issue with European partners. Speaking on French radio he said "For the moment, there is an embargo, so there are no arms being delivered from the European side. The issue... will no doubt be raised for defensive arms,"
Opinion: The West needs to think very carefully on what action it may or may not take. The people and children of Syria are suffering. Will arming rebels alleviate that suffering? In the short term it wont. It could also be that in the longer term it wont either. Without a clear idea of who would take over from the Assad regime it is safe to assume it could get much worse.
The West also should question its motives for such action at this point in time. Would it be truly for the people of Syria or in relation to the Gaza Israel conflict? Perhaps for once they should also consult the electorate before they embark on yet more costly missions to destroy the World.
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