"All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream."
- Edgar Allan Poe.
The West's crowning of the former al-Qaeda figurehead as the new, undisputed leader of Syria did not get the stamp of diplomatic approval from the majority of nations at the United Nations, as his speech was sparsely attended. He was basically talking to an empty hall.
Syria remains without a true, internationally recognized, and locally supported leader. The current rulers in charge came to power via force, not by popular elections, tribal elders' votes, or revolutionary tribunals.
And the type of force that was used to gain power isn't even respectable. It doesn't inspire awe or fear from the populace. The military in Damascus isn't strong enough to impose its will on disgruntled mercenaries and roaming terrorist gangs, or resist foreign invaders. It is a weak government, led by short-sighted characters. They seized power in the middle of the night like a bunch of thieves.
That's not strength. That's not victory.
Syria is still up for grabs.
Who should we blame for Syria's horrible fate? The United States? Turkey? England? Israel? Qatar and Saudi Arabia?
We have to blame the losing party.
The collapse of Syria ultimately falls on Assad and his allies, Putin and the Ayatollahs in Iran. They lost the war, politically. And they weren't brave enough to win. They let Turkey's terrorist strongholds to fester in the north instead of getting rid of them. They were naively waging the war like the Americans in Afghanistan, where they would fight the Taliban only up to the borders of Pakistan.
The governments of Pakistan and Turkey were active participants in the wars in Syria and Afghanistan. They had to be politically engaged and confronted militarily. Ignoring them cost America in Afghanistan, and Russia and Iran in Syria.
If Washington, Moscow and Tehran were not up to the task for such a war then why be involved in Afghanistan or Syria in the first place? Then you're just wasting time, lives, and money.
And that's exactly what happened. Pakistan and Turkey emerged the victors of an internationalized war where they barely sacrificed any national prestige or lives. They used their geostrategical position to their advantage. And credit to them. They're not led by stupid people. But let's not pretend Syria and Afghanistan are now stable countries governed by wise leaders.
Terrorists took over. Terrorists remain in power. That's the truth.
