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Reasons to support Syrian rebels

Reader comment on item: Obama's Diplomatic Acrobatics
in response to reader comment: What a disaster

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Sep 13, 2013 at 06:52

Dear Dr Pipes, your reader DNM cites Putin and asks why should the free world support the Islamic rebels in Syria against Assad. This is a very pertinent question in a world that is suffering at the hands of Islamic fundamentalists in its every corner. On the one hand we have the (so called) freedom fighters in Indian Kashmir, Russian Chechnya, southern Philippines, northern Nigeria, western China, and around Israel. These freedom fighters are perpetually fighting for their independence from liberal democracies so they can create draconian Islamic theocracies. On the other hand we have failed Islamic theocracies where we have brothers killing brothers for reasons that no sane man will be able to understand. The question is not whether we should interfere in this crazy state of affairs. The question is how?

There is no right answer to this question. Both interference and non-interference have merits and demerits. Fratricidal wars in Islamic societies from Morocco to Libya to Egypt to Iraq/Iran to Afghanistan and Pakistan indicate that Islamic political utopia does not provide a sustainable way to govern nations. I hypothesize that through these wars Islamic societies are going through a metamorphosis of their own; the young people in these muslim countries must be realizing on a daily basis that their system is failing them.

Interference in Islamic fratricidal wars will accelarate the demise of political Islam around the world. Any thing that rocks the boat is good. Things that rock the boats with good intentions are even better. Helping Syrian rebels will bring the demise of Assad. Replay the Egyptian tape for the last two years. In two years, some new rebels fighting against the current rebels will emerge in Syria. This process will continue until the cycle of violence ends. The religion that claims to be the religion of peace has to learn that franchising violence does not work. India learned this lesson when she wrote the epic Mahabharata hundreds of years ago. We learned the same lesson again when King Asoka adopted Buddism as his religion. Europe learned it after the 2nd world war. Communists learned it by disappearing from the planet. Now political-Islam has to learn the very same lesson. The policy of non-interference will slow down this education. Interference will accelarate it.

Today, we do not know which side in Syria used Chemical weapons. But we surely know that both sides are capable of using them. And that is why we should support those who are out of power against those who are in power for decades. We should try our best to change the status-quo.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (38) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
This is a completion to a submission that somehow got away from me, and an attempt to explain that [445 words]Ron ThompsonSep 14, 2013 23:10209752
Response to Ron Thompson [377 words]AKdocSep 23, 2013 10:19209752
reply to AKDoc [544 words]Ron ThompsonSep 25, 2013 21:56209752
Obama's Incompetency in Executing Sound Foreign Policy [154 words]RexSep 14, 2013 15:31209743
Obama is the best [8 words]shanSep 14, 2013 08:15209737
The Litany of Misdirected, Gutless Presidents [323 words]Mark WerfelSep 13, 2013 23:33209730
1Disastrous policies, neutral outcomes [248 words]Dan SimonSep 13, 2013 16:37209724
Cruel (and revealing) pix [4 words]FFSSep 13, 2013 01:05209681
Too bad Eugene Rostow is no longer around to advise. [266 words]Wallace Edward BrandSep 12, 2013 22:56209678
1What a disaster [73 words]dhimmi no moreSep 12, 2013 19:27209672
2Reasons to support Syrian rebels [432 words]PrashantSep 13, 2013 06:52209672
Another candidate for "worst'? [101 words]Ron ThompsonSep 14, 2013 22:25209672
Bush and history [20 words]dhimmi no moreSep 18, 2013 07:35209672
1Capturing the Essentials of Failure [247 words]Bill PaxtonSep 12, 2013 14:53209670
Moving on [56 words]David W. LincolnSep 12, 2013 13:31209669
Never before... [17 words]james sorianoSep 12, 2013 13:24209668
1Very strict critics [348 words]AlexandrosSep 12, 2013 11:45209667
how about the Saudis or Turkey taking care of Syria? [373 words]lippySep 12, 2013 10:17209665
Diplomatic Acrobatics [372 words]StephenSep 12, 2013 04:52209661
Election reform idea to minimize the impact of failing administrations [116 words]PezDispenserSep 12, 2013 04:47209660
6President Obama and Syria [216 words]Ilbert A. PhillipsSep 12, 2013 03:02209659
Epic Failure [91 words]TomSep 16, 2013 10:30209659
Obama's Diplomatic Acrobatics [15 words]steven LSep 11, 2013 23:46209656
1The True Apology To The World [192 words]Mike RamirezSep 11, 2013 23:08209651
Re: Obama's Diplomatic Acrobatics [27 words]Rich McMahonSep 11, 2013 22:20209650
3Fall of Rome [144 words]jamesSep 11, 2013 21:38209648
1.. and its modern-day empire [134 words]Brigitte in ParisSep 22, 2013 07:47209648
1No, it isn't just Obama [159 words]SoloviewSep 11, 2013 21:27209647
Comment for Geekmom [172 words]CassandraSep 14, 2013 06:51209647
WHAT TO SAY ? [17 words]Susan KSep 11, 2013 21:21209646
end game for Obama's style of peace making, [320 words]rodney allsworthSep 11, 2013 20:13209645
1Still better then Bush [71 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
BillSep 11, 2013 19:15209643
Really Bill? No one wanted the Iraq war? Looks like at least 72% of the people did. [21 words]geekmomSep 13, 2013 16:45209643
not true that 72% "wanted" war [105 words]Ron ThompsonSep 14, 2013 23:22209643
crowds [62 words]Gunther H. SciffSep 11, 2013 18:44209641
YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW [99 words]JACQUES HADIDASep 11, 2013 18:38209640
Image Caption [17 words]Mike RuebnerSep 11, 2013 18:12209639
He is the Emperor with no clothes [7 words]Robin RosenblattSep 11, 2013 18:12209638

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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