A quick thought on Syria
I just wanted to say publicly how annoyed I am at the left and the right for their framing of the question of US/UK involvement in Syria. Nearly 100% of the spokescreatures (and I will happily stipulate that spokescreatures seldom speak for very many people other than themselves) are phrasing the rightness or wrongness or political opportunities of this moment in terms of what's best/worst/right for the US/UK/(France to a limited degree).
Very little is being said of what's best for Syrians on either side of the conflict (or indeed that most Syrians really don't give a fuck, and just want to go back to hating Israel, Iraq and Lebanon, thank you very much). Which is quite a feat given how much ink has been spilled in pretending to talk about the Syrian people, but managing to do so in a way that makes it all about us again.
I do hate to be frank, and I know it was ever thus, but one did hope in the wake of Afghanistan and Iraq that we might at least have given a nod to the wellbeing of the LIPs this time, however briefly. It's not like we haven't just had a reminder of who truly bears the burden in these little wars.
For those who give a shit about my opinion, I think the chemical warfare red line for an attack that might have killed 300 people is well and truly too late given that we're about 100k dead into this war. There were many other red lines earlier on that would have been a more fitting place to put our feet down if we must. I'm not even convinced that we must. I just think this one is many days late and several dollars short.
PS: I may end up being Posty McPosty-Trousers while I job hunt. Be afraid.
Very little is being said of what's best for Syrians on either side of the conflict (or indeed that most Syrians really don't give a fuck, and just want to go back to hating Israel, Iraq and Lebanon, thank you very much). Which is quite a feat given how much ink has been spilled in pretending to talk about the Syrian people, but managing to do so in a way that makes it all about us again.
I do hate to be frank, and I know it was ever thus, but one did hope in the wake of Afghanistan and Iraq that we might at least have given a nod to the wellbeing of the LIPs this time, however briefly. It's not like we haven't just had a reminder of who truly bears the burden in these little wars.
For those who give a shit about my opinion, I think the chemical warfare red line for an attack that might have killed 300 people is well and truly too late given that we're about 100k dead into this war. There were many other red lines earlier on that would have been a more fitting place to put our feet down if we must. I'm not even convinced that we must. I just think this one is many days late and several dollars short.
PS: I may end up being Posty McPosty-Trousers while I job hunt. Be afraid.