Russian Mideast role would help West
Re Russian intentions in Syrian civil war unclear, Sept. 8 Whatever is “unclear” about Russian intentions, one thing is absolutely clear — they’re trying to save their main “asset,” Bashar Assad, from a dismal fate la Moammar Gadhafi of Libya.
Let the Russians send troops to defend their asset and spend their treasure and blood in the swirling snake pit of the Middle East. Soon enough they’ll relearn the lessons of their failed effort in another Muslim country, Afghanistan, and withdraw in defeat. At least they saw the quagmire and were smart enough to cut and run.
The region is hugely chaotic and satisfactory solutions for all are hardly in sight. It seems that the Russians would be doing the West a big favour by entering the fray. Perhaps it might also take pressure off Ukraine, with Russian meddling bogged down elsewhere.
And on the tsunami of refugees and migrants from the Middle East, instead of Europe apportioning the human waves among themselves with much growing discord, and since much of the conflict is sectarian based, the various Muslim countries must step up to the plate and relieve Turkey, Jordan and others of this mass of humanity that arrived on their doorsteps.
Why not distribute the waves on the basis of their sectarianism — Sunni to Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia and Shia to countries like Iran?
Marshall Plan-like programs for aid and resettlement through the United Nations and NGOs would go along way to relieve Europe because the more Europe accepts, or is unable to stop the waves of refugees, the more will come, which is clearly an unsustainable situation. Despite the enormous generosity of many Europeans, others are becoming less welcoming as the waves increase in size with no end in sight.
Neither Europe nor North America can absorb the needy and wretched of the rest of the world. A co-ordinated international plan that Canada must commit to should be put in place immediately to at least mitigate the problem for all sides. The need is now, not tomorrow. Sam Markou, Mississauga