

US and UK suspend non-lethal aid for Syria rebels - 2a0c40
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25331241

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_s
So the Arab states were propped up by the Americans and the British following
the 1st World War, left to their devices until the 2nd World War and then left
again. A couple of decades later, amidst a few revolutions, with more western
influence dictating the regions stability - the Arab Spring kicks off, with
the population coming out of the woodwork demanding real democracy. Their
actions are latched onto by the Islamists looking to invoke Sharia Law, and by
Western powers to have some form of presence and support amidst the growing
influence of Russia, China and within the next decade or two - the Indian sub-
continent.

Somewhere along the lines the locals, the Islamists and Western Powers realise
they want the current government overthrown, but soon thereafter their
differences come out in what they want the end result to be.

Syria is already is a flashpoint for a Russian backed government battling
Western backed rebels, and potentially any other hard-line Islamist state /
government / group backed Islamists blending in with the rebels.

I'm not even sure who's playing what game anymore - the west is actively
partaking in removing leaders it helped come into power - and has already done
so with a few.

The whole region is ____ed and we are nothing more than mere spectators for
whatever end-goal whoever has in mind, provided they actually get what they
want.

To think, in about a century and a bit the regions oil reserves will have been
depleted and it will be forgotten about - nothing more than a dot in history
of leaders coming and going, a populace that never got the opportunity to
develop or progress and will have severe bitterness of the powers that sought
their own means at their expense.

\---

The first few statements are off the top of my head so please someone correct
me if I went wrong, but thats how I remember the gist of the history of the
region.

~~~
yareally
> "So the Arab states were propped up by the Americans and the British
> following the 1st World War"

Actually, The United States had little to nothing to do with propping them up
after the First World War[1] and the Middle East became temporary colonies of
the British and French. The actual agreements behind that started not long
after the outbreak of the war and was a joint British/French/Russian
operation. They came up with the decisions about how to carve up the former
Ottoman Empire (much of that was done prior to the US entering the war). Syria
itself became a French Colony.

The US was a minor player (comparatively speaking) in influencing the outlook
of post war Eastern/Western Europe and the Middle East. It would have probably
been to the long term advantage of the victorious European Powers to actually
listen to the initial suggestions of President Wilson[2] and The United States
about terms for peace with Germany. If they had, we would have most likely
prevented a Second World War, as Wilson recommended against harsh punishment
and restitution towards Germany.

If interested in knowing more, I'd recommend reading the writings of T.E.
Lawrence and/or watching Lawrence of Arabia. There's a number of other good
sources as well, but those are a starting point.

[1]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitioning_of_the_Ottoman_Emp...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitioning_of_the_Ottoman_Empire)

[2]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_wilson#Treaty_fight.2C_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_wilson#Treaty_fight.2C_1919)

[3]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_Points](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_Points)

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ufmace
Sounds like the rebel groups most in line with Western values just got pushed
out of one of their bases by more Islamist rebels, who might have grabbed some
of their weapons. Essentially, since the groups we support the most lost a
minor battle, we'll give them less weapons and equipment, thus decreasing
their influence even more, and making it even less likely that the end result
of this war will be a government that has any interest in democracy.

God knows we have plenty of reasons for being weary of supporting causes in
the middle east, but the more we step away, the more the fight will be between
Russian, Chinese, and Iranian backed dictators and Saudi, Al-Quada, and other
Sunni extremist backed Islamic fundamentalists.

