Non-intervention and intervention

Just twelve months ago this was Syria's ultimatum to Christians; the full story here.

This morning I awoke to the news that Army Chief, General Sir Peter Wall was warning that  "we won't win wars if we are cut again" and that President Obama "has authorised sending US weapons to Syrian rebels as part of a new package of military support. Later today I was relieved to read that Downing Street said "no decision has been taken" on supplying arms - but "nothing is off the table"!

I have to agree with Tory backbencher John Baron who said: "Arming the rebels and escalating the violence could be a mistake of historic proportions." He said there was no way of knowing that weapons would not fall "into the hands of extremists within the Syrian opposition forces that have committed atrocities". He added, "We must remember that Syria is a melting pot for a proxy war being fought out at various levels including Sunni versus Shia, the West versus China and Russia, minorities within the country such as Alawites and Christians against what could follow and indeed Iran versus Saudi Arabia. Adding more weapons could escalate the conflict beyond Syria's borders."

In my previous entry I mentioned a comment about intervention from an Imam in Oxford. Referring to the murder in Woolwich of a British soldier by two Islamists he said that the Muslim community in the UK had never known such brutal terrorist attacks until the UK’s previous government drew Britain into overseas conflicts in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. But jihadis need no excuse. Attacks around the world in March are recounted here in Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, Turkey, Holland, Iran, Kazakhstan, Somalia and in Libya, in appreciation of the West's assistance in the Arab Spring perhaps?

Condemnation of violence in the UK is entirely understandable. It is getting in the way of  cultural jihad which Islam is winning. If you don't believe it read on here. It should be clear even to politicians where we need to intervene.