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The United Kingdom and France have been taking a tough line against the behaviour of President Assad of Syria. The Middle Eastern dictator is variously accused of a number of crimes against humanity. He has attracted particularly fierce condemnation for his treatment of protesters, who are reportedly publicly objecting to his regime’s continued rule over the country and Assad’s refusal to hold free and open elections. The British media has been bombarded with images of Assad’s victims, including children as young as 8 years old, who have been allegedly tortured to death by the president’s security forces. Outrage was sparked in Britain and France, following the fatal shooting of western journalists, who had been reporting on the brutal repression of Homs.
The question now arises, is it prudent to take action against the Syrian regime and if so, what form should that action take? The first part of this question is complex and a number of very significant factors need to be weighed-up before any western power determines that it should use force. Perhaps the most important issue to consider of all, is the view of the Russian Government. It has been little reported in the western media that Syria is a very staunch ally of Russia. Indeed, the Syrian Mediterranean coastline is the location of Russia’s only warm water naval port. The Russian Government has spent a considerable amount of money developing this facility, which acts as their primary base for Naval activity in three strategically crucial bodies of water - the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean (Persian Gulf). It is little wonder therefore that the Russians are taking the threat of Nato intervention in Syria extremely seriously. Egyptian television recently reported that the Russian Government had sent it’s entire naval force to the Mediterranean as a defensive move, designed to deter a combined Nato attack.
The other crucial factor that needs to be given particularly careful consideration before the western powers determine military intervention to be the correct course of action for Syria is how this would be viewed in the wider Islamic world. On the one hand, the Arab League and several leading Islamic nations have taken a tough stance about Assad’s regime. The new government in Tunisia for example has expelled the Syrian ambassador in protest at the regime’s recent actions. On the other hand, western powers should be cautious that their actions are not seen as hypocritical or motivated by a hidden agenda. There are many Middle Eastern states which are reported to commit similar offences against humanity, but which are also firm allies of the West and Nato. Criticism may arise if the West chooses to punish Syria's regime, but ignores the abuses of other friendly despots.
Post by Simon from TYR Solutions; specialists in medical training, hostile environment training and media security.
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