SWWood wrote:Our failure, and that of our allies, to intervene in 2013 (either diplomatically or militarily), has directly led to a much more dangerous situation today, and has solved none of the original problems. You may wish to ignore that reality, but it is nonetheless an inconvenient truth. I am uncomfortable about seeing military action taken now, as it seems a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. Things have got much more complicated than they should have been. My point is that non-intervention is not always the answer, as it can simply kick the can down the road. We are where we are, but we really shouldn't be.
Incidentally, if any other county had used chemical weapons for any reason, that situation should be dealt with accordingly. That does not mean military action must be taken. There is more than one way to skin a cat. I am however, intrigued by how often "false flag" operations are suggested nowadays, (Salisbury and Syria being recent examples). I suppose it's a useful way to dodge uncomfortable questions.
FWIW if I had no uncomfortable questions to ponder for breakfast I wouldn't bother getting up of a morning. And I'm with you on one thing: the complexity.
But, two things. First, back to logic. It certainly is not a 'truth', inconvenient or otherwise, that events in 2013 'directly led to' today's situation: it is simply a claim (i.e. an opinion) based on the false logic that had there been some kind of (unspecified) 'intervention' in 2013 there would have been no reoccurrence. History isn't a logical affair (unless you're a marxist, and I doubt that). But of course there was intervention: the apparent destruction of Syria's chemical weapons (note my use of 'apparent' there).
Second, there have been numerous reports of the use of chemical weapons by both government and opposition forces in the Syrian civil war (including by the jihadist opposition supported by the UK). The selectivity of our outrage both undermines our (moral) case (remember May's 'barbarism' reaction) and points to other motives which reflect the West's ambitions in the area.