UKC

Pretty simple idea for arab areas- hard to see how internationalism won't be needed- British in best position to propose it. A viable intermediate move? I think , the only move in readiness for post militarism.

In reply to MargieB:

Russia won. It gets to decide what happens now in Syria. To the victor the spoils, sadly.

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:
And Iran. Also the hereditary presidency of the Alawite (Shia variant) Assad family and associated tribal groupings.

Turkey and its meglomaniac, Islamising president more or less lost, though is still fighting hard to make up lost ground.

None of this "uman rights" nonsense to bother or restrain them, nor endless micro-criticisms about trivial offences, as directed at Israel. They are well protected from selective indignation and synthetic morality, both because the regressive left and associated legal and "charidee" hangers on don't bother trying to tackle them (too difficult, no money in it, they fight back seriously hard), and anyway, the Russians would laugh if they did, see wars in Chechnya, Ukraine, Georgia etc.

After all, Israel has 5 star hotels, an active free press and rule of law. Much easier and safer to bitch about them than in Syria, which has none of those things and if you tried to criticise the local warlord, you would be beheaded or kidnapped faster than you could say "religion of peace". Far too risky.

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

South of the Euphrates, Yep Russia controls matters pretty decisively, However north of the Euphrates I think their control over events will be very limited. I'm sure you are all well versed in the break up of the Assyrian Empire in 700BC after a disastrous domino effect of civil wars, that went down in oral history as such a big deal that it was used as the biblical setting for the symbolic apocalyse. That saw the meeting of the biggest tectonic political plates of its time and today we are seeing the differing political tectonic plates of the world all rushing to meet each other. As a matter of fact the last stand for the Assyrian collapse was just north of Raqaa. Sounds familiar?