Now that Barack Obama has decided to arm the ‘good’ rebels in Syria, it’s more likely than ever that Britain will follow suit. The G8 summit next week in Northern Ireland may well turn into a pre-war summit, which will certainly be interesting seeing as Putin will also be there. The Russians may respond by giving more arms to Assad and the level playing field may quickly turn into a level killing field. The Wall St Journal says that Obama has pretty much decided on a no-fly zone enforced by allied aircraft based in Jordan which will allow rebels to train. But which rebels? There are more than a dozen of them, some already fighting with each other. Can we be so sure that arms will not end up in the hands of the rebels who recently hoisted the black flag of al-Qaeda over a town they captured. And given that rebels have also used chemical weapons, what’s to stop Western air support being used to increase the cycle of violence, reprisals and civilian death?
There are huge questions, which still hang unanswered as the drumbeat of war grows louder. The Spectator is holding a debate on Syria on 24 June (tickets here) where Sir Malcolm Rifkind will make the case for intervention and our own Douglas Murray will lead the case against. It now looks like it will be more timely than we imagined, so do book now if you’d like to join us.
The next Spectator Debate on 24 June will be debating the motion ‘Assad is a war criminal. The West must intervene in Syria’ with Malcolm Rifkind, Andrew Green, Douglas Murray and more. Click here to book tickets.
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