Editorial Comment
Nothing better illustrates the vacuity of Government policy towards Syria than its inability to respond to the challenge posed by President Putin’s military intervention in support of the dictatorship in Damascus. As we have seen in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, Mr Putin is not shy about using military force when it suits his geo-political agenda. And with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime reportedly on the brink of collapse, the Russian leader has clearly decided that the deployment of his warplanes and armoured vehicles is vital to prevent the Syrian capital falling into the hands of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) militants, with all the implications that would have for the region.
Russia’s dramatic intervention in the conflict, with Mr Putin threatening to launch air strikes against Isil within days, will certainly come as a wake-up call to those Western nations, such as Britain, whose half-hearted response to the Syrian crisis over the past two years has only resulted in Isil strengthening its position. This week is the first anniversary of a US-led coalition’s air offensive against Isil, in which the RAF is the second-largest component, but the military campaign has only resulted in Isil acquiring more territory and more fighters than it had this time last year. Moreover, the fact that Mr Putin feels able to embark on a fresh military adventure when the global condemnation of his actions in Ukraine has not abated demonstrates that, in the absence of firm Western leadership, he is more than happy to fill the vacuum.
One of the main reasons that British politicians have struggled to formulate an effective response to the Syria crisis is that they have been unable to work out whether they should be targeting the Assad regime, Isil, or both. This confusion led to David Cameron losing a vital Commons vote two years ago, when parliamentarians rejected plans to bomb Assad. But as Mr Putin has made clear, Isil poses the far greater threat to our wellbeing, and the main military effort should be directed against the Islamist fanatics, rather than the Syrian leader. Yesterday Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, indicated that she supported Russia’s position that Assad should be included in any negotiating process on Syria’s future. This argument might be hard to stomach for those politicians who have consistently called for Assad’s removal. But, in terms of defeating Isil, it may be the only option.