The necessity of Israel annihilation

“It’s stupid to think that Syria will sit idly by if it is attacked. President Assad has pledged retaliation and insisted that it will not back down if it is assailed militarily,” Correa said during an interview with FNA.

Correa is a foreign expert and editor at Shanghai Daily. He has also been a news editor at The Nation in Bangkok, and chief sub-editor at Indian Express.

What follows is his interview with FNA on the US war on Syria, specially after the Russian proposal for international control over Syria’s chemical weapons in return for the annulment of the US war plan on the crisis-hit country.

1. What do the American and the world public think of a military intervention in Syria? And why?

It’s pretty obvious from all the polls that the American public and world opinion is NOT in favor of any kind of military (mis)adventure in Syria. The reasons, too, are obvious. People around the world, in general, and the American public in particular are tired of wars being raged around the world, especially in the Middle East and Asia, in their name. Amid an economic crisis that has sapped confidence the public has no appetite for any military intervention anywhere.

2. What will be the final decision of the US Congress on intervention in Syria? What do congressional and constituency offices tell us about any upcoming voting in the Senate or the House?

The Congress seems to be deeply divided over the issue and most constituents of congressmen and senators apparently have been calling them and urging them not to vote for any resolution that allows for military intervention in Syria.

3. What were the reasons that Obama devolved the decision on military attack to the Congress?

President Obama had pushed himself into a corner by suggesting a red line in case chemical weapons are used in the Syria conflict. Now that it has been “confirmed” chemical arms were used in a so-called attack last month, even though there is no absolute proof that it was President Assad who ordered it, the mere fact of its use has propelled the US to look and act tough.

4. What consequences can a military strike against Syria have in the country and the region? What will happen if the rebels take control in Syria? Will it be safer?

It’s hard to say what will happen in case of military strikes in Syria since the region itself, even without any conflict, is pretty volatile with its layers of ethnic and religious sensibilities. If the rebels take control of Syria, it is likely that the country will go the way of Iraq and Libya, it will unravel and the timorous peace that has held its different people, the Alawites, Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians etc will undoubtedly be shattered. Look no further than the non-states that Iraq and Libya have become since they were invaded and the regime-change imposed on them.

5. There’s a perception in the West that if Syria is attacked, Damascus and its allies will not react or respond it. Do you think that Syria and its allies naming Russia and Iran will certainly not react to this?

It’s stupid to think that Syria will sit idly by if it is attacked. President Assad has pledged retaliation and insisted that it will not back down if it is assailed militarily. Its allies Russia and Iran may not join in the conflict militarily but will use their influence elsewhere to rally the world, which at least Russia has been doing very well, and consistently, since the Syrian conflict began.

6. Russia has proposed to keep Syrian chemical weapons under international control, provided that the threat of military attack against Syria is removed. Damascus welcomed this initiative. What is your take on this? Will it decrease the possibility of any attack against Syria? Or the West will find another pretext to attack the country?

Apparently, the US also seems to like the idea though President Obama has been a bit skeptical. He has, however, agreed to consider it thoroughly. So it seems there is a broad agreement over the control of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. Whether it will lead to a long-term, political solution is still to be seen, since the Syrian opposition seems to be out for blood, and I can’t see them agreeing to anything short of President Assad’s ouster.