Russia and America aim for Syrian peace

Notes taken by George W Bush’s press secretary have revealed the grim but determined mood that overtook the former president during the 9/11 crisis. He told his staff aboard Air Force One that America was now at war, and that the culprits were going to suffer. “That’s what we’re paid for, boys,” he said. “We’re going to take care of this.”

The mood 15 years ago was at first horror, then grief, then a resolute desire to fight Islamist terrorism. The West has learnt since then that the struggle was not as straightforward as Mr Bush portrayed it, although he was correct to warn that it would be long. The campaign in Afghanistan turned into a painful occupation; the invasion of Iraq is widely perceived to have exacerbated regional tensions. The Arab Spring did not democratise the Middle East. Al-Qaeda has been joined by organisations such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

Now, in a new twist on enemies of enemies becoming friends, Russia and America have agreed to try to coordinate a ceasefire in Syria and possibly unite in military action against Isil if the peace holds. American voters could be forgiven for feeling confused. The US has condemned Russian revanchism in Ukraine and Nato has sent additional forces to the Baltic states. Donald Trump has been condemned for calling Vladimir Putin a strong leader. Yet now John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, and Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, are as one.

If the East-West contest is not exactly over, it does appear to defer to the war against radical Islamism. Hopefully the attempt to internationalise the Syrian conflict will work. Better to have Russia and America setting terms for peace than Bashar al-Assad, Iran or fanatical sectarian forces. If Syria is stabilised, then Isil might lose its main base of operations. The flow of refugees, which is a security problem for Europe, might cease.

If the conflict against radical Islamism is long and bloody, then it does also contain signs of hope – and 9/11 remains a potent reminder of why the effort is necessary. Yes, mistakes have been made. Yes, many lives have been lost. But the war was begun by fanatics willing to take innocent lives to strike a blow against liberty. The price of liberty, as Thomas Jefferson is attributed with saying, is eternal vigilance. The deal with Russia suggests it may also include the compromise of noble ideals.